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cookieTeaching is an interesting occupation. It never has its dull moments. The children always come up with something that you haven’t thought of yet.

“Principaling” isn’t much different; not too many dull moments, and the children still come up with things that you haven’t thought of yet. For me, the hardest children to discipline are the very young. They don’t do things that are very bad, but when they do step over the line the teacher may send them in for a “little chat” with the principal. Now, I haven’t been in the classroom all day, noticing the irritating antics of the errant child, and all I see is this sweet little boy or girl, looking totally innocent, who meekly walks into the office for our “little chat.” This was how it began with a little 5 year old from kindergarten. He walked in, sat down, and said with all the innocence he could muster, “Before you begin, can I tell you what REALLY happened?” I replied that I already knew what REALLY happened, because his teacher, Mrs. B, had already told me. I knew, of course, that his version would be different, so I chose to rely on Mrs. B’s memory of events.

After we had our “little chat,” where I did my best version of “principal’s advice and admonishment,” doing what I considered not a bad job of lecturing to a 5 year old, he looked at me and asked, not in a defiant way, “Are you done now?” I replied that I was, expecting him to say something else about our conversation. Instead, he asked, “Then can I have that cookie that’s on your desk?” The obvious thing for me to say at that time was, “No, you can’t have that cookie. You were sent in here because you did something you shouldn’t have. I can’t give you a cookie for that!”

That’s what seemed obvious at the time. Now that I’ve had several years to think about it, however, I think about how differently we are treated by God. We sin, we fail, we mess up. We go to God in prayer, may or may not think of asking God for forgiveness, and say, “Now can I have that cookie (or your blessings, or eternal life)?” God doesn’t reply, “No, you can’t have that cookie (or my blessings or eternal life)!” He forgives us, and we receive His blessings, His salvation. He withholds nothing. He holds nothing against us! I have thought about it over and over. Maybe I should have given the little boy the cookie. I had talked to him about what he had done wrong, about what he could do differently next time, AND ABOUT FORGIVENESS. Then he asked me for a cookie, and I said,” No!” I had talked to him about forgiveness, but I didn’t demonstrate it as God does with us!

That’s been a long time ago. I hope I run into him someday, and when I do, I hope Ihave a cookie to give him!