Monday, February 15, 2010

Daddy, Are you Speeding?

Ephesians 4:15

The other day I was driving toward the mall on route 571. My family was with me and Andrew asked from behind me, "Daddy, are you speeding?" I looked down at the gauge and had a decision to make.

This particular road has a 50 mph speed limit for a stretch that drops to 40 mph without a very noticeable difference. I happened to be following traffic and was in the 40 mph zone...going 50. What should I say? Should I tell him that the police don't really travel this road much and therefore we would not get caught? Should I slow down and pretend he didn't ask me till I was going 40? Should I tell him that I'm daddy and he has no right to ask me such questions? Or what about this one, "You'll understand when you're older."

Andrew is seven and quite perceptive. He watches me every day. He knows when I'm sincere and when I'm not. Instantly visions of the future flashed in my mind. I could see Andrew coming home with his first speeding ticket and connecting the dots all the way back to route 571. So, I swallowed and said, "Andrew, I was speeding and I shouldn't have been. I need to be more careful. Thanks for asking."

It occurs to me that the oft repeated biblical phrase, "speak the truth in love," refers not just to confronting people because I love. Sometimes it means admitting the truth because I love them. I'm not comfortable saying this, but if I want my son to become a good man I had better show him how a good man acts.

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