It all began one day this past week when the oldest of our seven grandsons, who is now in the first grade, came home with a wide toothless grin, a baggy containing the missing tooth, and a certificate issued to him by his teacher affirming him for his courage in pulling the tooth all by himself without assistance.
He could not wait to show it to his brothers, his parents, and also to my wife and me as his grandparents. The only thing that was higher on his agenda list was to get home and get in bed early with that tooth properly ensconced under his pillow.
The following morning, just as he had so highly anticipated, he scored big time. For there under his pillow, where once there had been a tooth, now lay the princely sum of two whole genuine American dollars! Cha-ching, cha-ching!
It seems that none of this was lost on his younger brother, who just began pre-k. Fast forward to this afternoon, when this little fellow came walking up to his mother with two small plastic teeth in his hand and proudly announced that he now had his own teeth to put under his own pillow, which he planned to do this very night. It seems that he had schemed a way to cash in on the lucrative used tooth business!
His mother took the opportunity to cross-examine him, and soon discovered that he had removed the teeth from a toy. This was later confirmed as she found a small eight inch long sabre-tooth tiger. Only the fearsome beast was missing his two most distinguishing features. In a manner with enough skill and precision to rival a procedure performed by a bona fide Doctor of Dental Surgery, its two upper canines had been expertly removed.
(Alas, the hapless creature is henceforth destined to live a life akin to that of the poor “Abominable Snow Monster of the North” after Hermey the Outcast Elf removed its fangs in the classic Rankin/Bass Christmas special, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”. But I digress.)
Suffice it to say that a discussion soon ensued between my grandson and his mother about being truthful in our dealings with others. I have insider information that when he awakens in the morning, he will likely find two dollars in Monopoly play money. This is, after all, a fair exchange – fake money for fake teeth!
Many years hence, no doubt, we will all be laughing about this entire matter. I’m quite certain my grandson will not soon forget it. I know his parents and his grandparents won’t.
But the hope is that he will not only remember the episode, but also the lesson he will have learned. While he can be given an “A” in the areas of creativity, ingenuity, and initiative, he won’t score near so high in the areas of honesty and integrity. At least not in this one instance.
Of course, the world highly values creativity, ingenuity, and initiative. With such traits, one can go far. The Lord values them as well. The Old Testament Book of Proverbs is chock full of admonitions about such things.
But the Lord values such traits as honesty and integrity far, far more! Proverb after proverb affirms this as well. For instance, chapter 28, verse 6 says “Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.”
If the Good Lord tarries His coming, there will doubtless come a day when my little grandson comes of age and uses his gifts to make his way and prosper in this world - maybe even as a dentist. I hope the Lord allows me to live long enough to see this. But more than this, I hope the Lord allows me to live long enough to see him exemplifying complete and total honesty and integrity in all his dealings with others.
If so, he will truly be a prince! And that’s no fairy tale!
SCRIPTURE: https://biblehub.com/proverbs/28-6.htm.
SEE ALSO: https://www.openbible.info/topics/honesty_and_integrity.
He could not wait to show it to his brothers, his parents, and also to my wife and me as his grandparents. The only thing that was higher on his agenda list was to get home and get in bed early with that tooth properly ensconced under his pillow.
The following morning, just as he had so highly anticipated, he scored big time. For there under his pillow, where once there had been a tooth, now lay the princely sum of two whole genuine American dollars! Cha-ching, cha-ching!
It seems that none of this was lost on his younger brother, who just began pre-k. Fast forward to this afternoon, when this little fellow came walking up to his mother with two small plastic teeth in his hand and proudly announced that he now had his own teeth to put under his own pillow, which he planned to do this very night. It seems that he had schemed a way to cash in on the lucrative used tooth business!
His mother took the opportunity to cross-examine him, and soon discovered that he had removed the teeth from a toy. This was later confirmed as she found a small eight inch long sabre-tooth tiger. Only the fearsome beast was missing his two most distinguishing features. In a manner with enough skill and precision to rival a procedure performed by a bona fide Doctor of Dental Surgery, its two upper canines had been expertly removed.
(Alas, the hapless creature is henceforth destined to live a life akin to that of the poor “Abominable Snow Monster of the North” after Hermey the Outcast Elf removed its fangs in the classic Rankin/Bass Christmas special, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”. But I digress.)
Suffice it to say that a discussion soon ensued between my grandson and his mother about being truthful in our dealings with others. I have insider information that when he awakens in the morning, he will likely find two dollars in Monopoly play money. This is, after all, a fair exchange – fake money for fake teeth!
Many years hence, no doubt, we will all be laughing about this entire matter. I’m quite certain my grandson will not soon forget it. I know his parents and his grandparents won’t.
But the hope is that he will not only remember the episode, but also the lesson he will have learned. While he can be given an “A” in the areas of creativity, ingenuity, and initiative, he won’t score near so high in the areas of honesty and integrity. At least not in this one instance.
Of course, the world highly values creativity, ingenuity, and initiative. With such traits, one can go far. The Lord values them as well. The Old Testament Book of Proverbs is chock full of admonitions about such things.
But the Lord values such traits as honesty and integrity far, far more! Proverb after proverb affirms this as well. For instance, chapter 28, verse 6 says “Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.”
If the Good Lord tarries His coming, there will doubtless come a day when my little grandson comes of age and uses his gifts to make his way and prosper in this world - maybe even as a dentist. I hope the Lord allows me to live long enough to see this. But more than this, I hope the Lord allows me to live long enough to see him exemplifying complete and total honesty and integrity in all his dealings with others.
If so, he will truly be a prince! And that’s no fairy tale!
SCRIPTURE: https://biblehub.com/proverbs/28-6.htm.
SEE ALSO: https://www.openbible.info/topics/honesty_and_integrity.