NOVEMBER 30 Galatians 6:1-3

HELP EACH OTHER...

“I think I did okay,” thought Paul as he answered the last problem on the test. Just then Paul noticed his friend Jeff slide a small paper out of sight before jotting down something. As Paul watched, he saw Jeff take another secret glance at the paper, then hand it in to Mr. Lim. Paul’s heart sank. “Oh, no! Jeff cheated! 

All afternoon Paul wondered what he should do. Should he tell Mr. Lim? Accuse Jeff? Forget it? At home, he was still thinking about it. To distract himself, he turned on the TV to a documentary on geese. Paul watched with interest the geese flying in a V-formation. He remembered what his Sunday school teacher had told the class just the week before. “I’ve heard that geese take turns leading,” Mr. Tan had said,  “and that their honking seems to encourage those who lag behind or get out of line. They help each other stay strong and united for their long journey. Christians need to help each other in that way, too.”

As Paul remembered those words, he thought of Jeff. He knew Jeff was a Christian and that in a moment of weakness he’d cheated. Jeff needed a friend to “honk” and tell him the truth - a friend to talk to him about what he’d done. Paul sighed. “I really don’t want to be the one. He might get mad about it. Maybe Mr. Tan could talk to him.” But Paul saw what had happened, and he knew what he needed to do.

In school the next day, Paul prayed for courage as he walked over to Jeff. “Hi, Jeff,” Paul greeted his friend. “I need to talk to you - I saw what happened during the test yesterday.” Jeff looked very surprised, and Paul rushed on. “I really think you need to tell Mr. Lim what happened and that you’re sorry,” he said. “I’ll go with you if you want. Maybe he’ll let you take another test.” 

“I-I...” stuttered Jeff. He sighed. “I’ll think about it,” he mumbled. 

“We can spend some time this afternoon to study together,” suggested Paul. “I’ll help you so you can pass because you understand, not because you cheated, okay?” “Maybe,” said Jeff, but he nodded. “I’ll see.” “Try,” urged Paul, and as he left, he felt better than he had all day.

Thought: Do you get angry and accuse or tattle when someone does something wrong? Or do you take the easy way and pretend nothing happened?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I know You want Christian friends and loved ones to help each other do what is right. If I know someone’s done something wrong and it’s a problem I can handle, please give me the courage to help the person by telling the truth, gently. In Jesus’ name, Amen.