“Doesn’t the Book say something about keeping your word?”

Ouch! That one question had to sting Tim back into reality!

After a few days of ignoring responsibility in favor of doing what he wanted, Tim got a wakeup call about his disregard of the Truth he claimed to know. And it was delivered by his mom. (See page 98 of The Bridge from OneDayBow.)

Now, remember that Tim is the one who had crossed the Bridge, met the King, and received a copy of His Word. Mom wasn’t there yet, but she had obviously heard enough about it from Tim to know that when you make claims about Someone being your King you have an obligation to do what that King says.

It wasn’t like Emma didn’t try to tell him. And if he had listened to her then, Tim would have saved himself a lot of trouble later.

So, what was Tim’s reaction to his mom’s probing question?

Tim tried to be defensive, but he knew he was wrong. He’d been ignoring the Truth and let self-will grow strong.

(Yep, just like the Son warned him. And I’m sure that in the moment, the Truth hurt.)

But Tim didn’t stop with acknowledging his wrong, he set out to make it right. After tightening up the Truth belt (deciding to act according to what he knew to be true) Tim headed to the yard. And that’s when the reality of his laziness set in!

But back in the far corner – where the rake threw the seeds –

A brand new crop was growing of giant, seed-filled weeds.

While the responsibility for the new weed crop was credited to the rake, a quick look back at page 97 reminds that it was Tim who used the rake as an instrument of his anger. And so he sowed the seeds of the results he now dreaded: seeds to weeds.

We could end there and have an obvious moral of the story. But, because Tim was willing to pray, repent, work to correct his wrong, and even confess that wrong to his dad, we have a “but”: Sometimes the Truth Hurts, but, Truth Can also Heal.

Truth, when revered and responded to as more important than self-interests, can heal the effects of broken promises, mend strained relationships, and even open doors for faith and growth. Especially when it’s administered with humility.

Personally, I would rather act according to the Truth of God’s Word before a “but” is needed. But there are times when I get lazy in my discipline, or selfish in my thoughts, or protective of my “rights”… You get the point. And when I come to my senses and face the Truth, I am genuinely glad for the conviction of the Holy Spirit. And glad for the humility-reminder that I need to turn from my wrongs and return to what I know to be true – Who I know to be true.

It is a Great King Who can use those hurts to bring healing – in us, and with others.