Liar...Liar...Pants on FIRE!

If we could all sin and ALL that was on fire was our pants...we'd be in serious business.

But, because I am under the sweet and wonderful yoke of Jesus Christ (His yoke is easy and His burden is light....unlike the crappy mismanaged yoke of all that is of this earth!!)...I am attempting to raise my children under the same yoke and therefore if you lead a life of sin with no looking back....YO PANTS ARE THE LAST CONCERN YOU HAVE! Sister...hell is not a joke and neither is the fire...so "liar liar, pants on fire!" should make people say, "Whew!...I'm glad they didn't say...."liar, liar - yucky hell-freaking-fire!!". (Please pardon my use of the "f" word...it's been a hard afternoon...)

Which brings me to today. Jack told a whopper lie.

I suppose the struggle of his spelling words is cramping his style (Jacks' style pretty much consists of "Where the WILD things are.." roping through the gated American neighborhood we affectionately call, "The play pin". Jack is famous in Grant Circle...he loves to PLAY and PLAY HARD.). So, he didn't study and I helped with the looming failure because I forgot about him studying. He took a spelling test today and he received a big fat "C". Jack then walked all of the way home from school - took the test inside - changed the misspelled words - REGRADED THE TEST WITH A RED PEN!!!!! - and handed me the scraggly 100% paper with a huge grin on his face. "Momma - I got a one hundwed puhcent on my papuh today!"

The look on my face must have been interesting. He started crying right away and said, "WHAT???". I said, "Jack, this paper looks weird. Did you change something on it?" Jack - "NO! Mom seweusley (seriously)...I didn't change anyfing!" (Stop right there...I KNOW his speech issues are not funny....they just happen to fit nicely in with this re-telling...)

When I came into the kitchen the "meth lab" was all over the place. Red pens spilled on the floor...pencils...pencil eraser pieces...DEAR HEAVENS! He was so freaking guilty and my heart was broken.

After not handling the situation very well and squeezing a half screaming confession out of Jack...I called my momma. SHE LAUGHED....not because she thought what Jack had done was funny...but because I (yes...me) had also changed grades in my tainted but lively and dramatic past. Mom was stunned that one of the worst things I had ever pulled on her had come back to haunt me. She and I talked about the options and then we hung up.

Jack and I had a long talk about trust - about sin (here comes that "liar liar pants on fire" theme again - about trust and forgiveness - and then we prayed. He cried...I cried and then (he must have felt the yoke of sin flop off and run away because.....) he looked up at me with his gorgeous blue eyes and said, "Can I go play now?"

I said, "Jack...no...I am sorry but I don't trust you to run around the neighborhood. Today you are grounded. You have to stay home."

Jack: "NO FEH-UH! (fair) ALL I WANT TO DO IS PLAY!! I SAID I WAS SOH-WEE!!!"

Jack's pleading crying turned into a whimper and he said, "I didn't fink it would tuhn out this way....."

No, Jack, we never "fink" sin will turn out this way. Jack is blessed. His sin got him an afternoon inside and some serious "talkin' to" about trust. His pants aren't really on fire...and his soul isn't either...THANK YOU JESUS!