If I Break Something That Belongs To Someone Else But Fix It, Do I Have To Tell What I Did?
Answer: How would you feel if a friend broke something of yours and didn’t tell you, even though your friend fixed it?
You probably wouldn’t like it, especially if you found out later. Treating another person the way you want to be treated is called the Golden Rule.
Jesus taught that this is the way we should always act.
Telling the person what you did is both telling the truth and showing that you respect that person.
If you break something that belongs to someone else, it is important to fix it or to pay to have it fixed.
But you should let the person know what you did and not try to hide it.
When you do that, people will know you are responsible, and they will let you borrow other things and trust you more.
But if you try to hide it and they find out, they won’t trust you anymore.
Key verse: Do for others what you want them to do for you. This is the meaning of the laws of Moses and the words of the prophets. (Matthew 7:12)
Related verses: Exodus 20:16; 22:14
Note to parents: Many children lie for reasons that are related to self-doubt and insecurity.
They lie to show off or because of fear-fear of being thought less of, fear of failure (they lie to seem to have succeeded), fear of not being accepted, and fear of getting punished.
Help your child to see that God can protect us from these fears when we respect others and their property.
If you get a gratuitous confession of wrongdoing, accept it lovingly, with gentleness.
This will encourage your child to tell the truth instead of being afraid of punishment.
Do All People Lie?
Answer: All people sin, and one of the most common sins is lying. In fact, some people don’t know the difference between truth and lies because they lie so much.
Some are so confused that they think a lie is the truth. But not all people lie. Lying is a choice.
Sometimes people say something that is not true because they don’t know all the facts; that’s not the same as lying.
For example, they might say, “Jimmy is in the backyard,” when actually he came inside a few minutes ago.
It’s good to check the facts to make sure that what you say is correct. Watch out for saying something before you’re sure it’s true.
People who want to do things God’s way make a decision not to lie, because they want to obey God.
Jesus never lied. If we do lie, we must ask God for forgiveness, admit our lie to the people involved, and try not to do it again.
Key verse: Yes, all have sinned. All fall short of God’s perfect glory. (Romans 3:23)
Related verses: Psalm 14:2-3; Proverbs 18:17; 19:5, 9; Romans 3:10-18; Ephesians 4:19-25
Related question: Why do people lie?
Note to parents: It’s confusing for children when they hear something that later turns out to be false information and think that they have been lied to.
Instead of knowingly telling a lie, however, the person may simply have been passing on misinformation.
Use this fact of life to warn your children against accusing someone of being a liar, and encourage them to be careful about what they themselves say.
For example, they could say, “I’m not sure, but I think…”