Ava Learns About Honesty [Little Lights: Short Stories to Help Children Learn About God and the Bible]

Ava stared out of her window as the rain fell from the sky, like buckets from her window upstairs. She could see the ocean. The way that the waves were crashing and creating a bubbly white foam, reminded her of the soup that mommy was downstairs making on the stove at this exact moment.

The rain started hitting her window even harder. “Look Butterscotch!” Ava yelled to her pet bunny. It looks like we’re in a car wash!

Chomp. Chomp. Chomp.

Butterscotch was munching on a carrot but lazily glanced up at the window for Ava. “Carrots?!”, Ava screamed. “How can you eat those things?!” Carrots are so gross!”Butterscotch looked at Ava, highly offended, and quickly left the room.

Just then mommy called from downstairs. “Kids! Dinner is ready.” Ava picked up butterscotch and got down the stairs as fast as she could. As she sat down at her spot at the dinner table she saw a steamy and delicious bowl of chicken noodle soup. She smiled at her bowl of soup. However, her smile turned into a frown when she looked at the small plate next to her soup.

“Yuck” she screamed. Next to her soup were a few carrots that had been cut up into small pieces. Mommy chuckled. “Ava you are a big girl. You can eat both your soup and your carrots. She had a reassuring glimmer in her eyes.

Ava wanted to eat the soup because she loves soup, but she did not want to eat the carrots because carrots were very yucky to her. Ava promised mommy that she would eat her soup and her carrots. She was allowed to watch one hour of TV before bed If she ate all of her dinner.

The more Ava stared at the carrots, the more she didn’t want to keep her promise. As mommy and daddy began having a conversation Ava noticed that they were quite distracted. She looked at her carrots, then down at Butterscotch. Ava had a sneaky idea.

She started picking up carrot after carrot and dropping them under the table for Butterscotch to eat. Butterscotch was dancing all under the table. It was her best day ever. Mommy and Daddy continued their conversation.

“Yes, dear that really happened.” Daddy said, explaining his day of working at the cheese factory. Mommy was just about to respond when suddenly they heard something…

CHOMP.

Mommy and Daddy looked at each other. “Excuse me” Ava blurted out anxiously. Mommy and Daddy laughed and continued on.

“How did that make you feel?” Mommy asked. Daddy adjusted his glasses and said “well to be honest I sort of felt like..”

CHOMP.

Mommy, daddy, and all the kids jumped at the sound. “Lightening” Ava screamed. Mommy raised her eyebrows and said “I don’t think so. Everyone hush so we can hear where it’s coming from.”

Ava got nervous as everyone sat quietly in deep concentration.

CHOMP.

“It’s coming from under the table!” Daddy yelled as he slowly started, lifting the tablecloth, and pulling it up. With a quick tug, he tore the table cloth off the table, sending plates and bowls in every direction like flying saucers. Toeveryone surprise (aside from Ava) they saw Butterscotch feasting on a pile of carrots.

Chomp, chomp, chomp.

Daddy and Mommy both said at the same time “Ava!”

Ava could hear the disappointment in their voices. Mommy put her hand on Ava‘s back and said “sweetie, you know better than to lie.” Daddy put his hand on Ava‘s other shoulder. “Ava, not only are mommy and me upset about you lying, but also, so is God.” Ava looked at the ground.

“Daddy, what does the Bible say about lying?” Daddy paused for a moment, then replied “well, sweetie, all throughout the Bible we see that God hates lying, but let’s look at one verse in particular.” Daddy flipped through the Bible. “I want to show you one that you can memorize so that it’s hidden in your heart when you need it most”. He flipped to Psalm 34:13 and read it aloud: “keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit”

Ava raised her hand. “Daddy, what is deceit?” “Great question Ava!” he replied, then explained that deceit is when you trick someone into believing something that isn’t true.

For the next few days Ava worked on memorizing the Bible verse that Daddy showed her. One evening as she was standing and looking out her window again she recited her Bible verse over and over. She enjoyed thinking deeply about God’s word while watching people walk the beach. Butterscotch sat content as if she was approving of Ava‘s Bible memory efforts.

Mommy‘s voice came into the bedroom along with a loft of delicious smelling food. “Dinner time!”

At the dinner table Ava noticed her brother and sister were happily eating, but she hadn’t even started. Her plate had some yummy roasted chicken and rice, but again… Yucky carrots.

Even with a small dab of ranch on the plate Ava couldn’t bring herself to eat the carrots. She looked around the dinner table and saw mommy and daddy lost in conversation and her brother and sister still enjoying their food. She looked under the table and there Butterscotch was again, waiting for her food.

Ava felt tempted to give her carrots the Butterscotch again, and to lie and say that she ate them. The Bible verse came to her mind. She said it to herself quietly.. “Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.”

Mommy and Daddy were right in the middle of their conversation when they heard the noise again.

CHOMP!

Mommy and daddy gasped and looked over at Ava. They expected to see Ava’s carrots missing from her plate and Butterscotch under the table eating them again. Instead they saw Ava dipping her carrots in the ranch and eating them.

Chomp chomp chomp.

Ava was eating all of her carrots and seemed to be enjoying them. Mommy stood to her feet and shouted “great job!” Daddy jumped out of his chair in excitement. “Ava! You told the truth! We are so proud of you!”

From that moment forward Ava decided it is always better to be honest. Not only does it make parents happy, but it makes God happy as well.

The end.