“Hahahaha, you should’ve seen how funny coach Meloni looked training his dog to roller skate in the park yesterday afternoon!” Pepe talked to a group of kids at the school’s recess.

“You saw him? I bet that was such a silly scene!” a kid said, and everybody laughed!

“I don’t think coach Meloni has a dog,” Juanita interrupted. “I live close to his home and I’ve never seen him with one. Actually, my mom and I visited him and his wife last night—mom wanted to drop some garden seeds she promised—and there were no signs of a dog living there.

“Well…ah, ah, ah…” Pepe didn’t know what to say. “Maybe he was training someone else’s dog?”

“I doubt it. Mom said something about the coach and his wife not liking pets, something about allergies,” Juanita said matter-of-fact.

In the following weeks, Pepe continued lying because…

He liked the attention he got: “I saw Claire give a kiss to Paul!” He didn’t want to assume responsibility for his actions: “I didn’t push you!” He wanted revenge: “Joseph took your pencil!” He wanted to get by with stuff: “Yes dad, I finished my homework.” He just simply wanted to sound cool to others: “I’m descended from one of the queens of England.”

A month passed by, and Pepe’s class went on a field trip to a rain forest.  Arriving at their destination, all the kids were amazed by the variety of green colors; the big plants, leaves and trees; the exotic flowers; the interesting sounds of insects, frogs and birds; and the fascinating smells that the forest emanated.

Suddenly, a big blue butterfly flew nearby…

“A blue butterfly! I see a shinny blue butterly! Everybody, look!” Pepe yelled excited while pointing to the majestic creature. “There! There!” he eagerly cried again. But no one turned to see it. No one paid any attention to Pepe.

Hiding next to a big tree, Pepe mumbled sadly to himself, “I guess nobody believes me now.”

The Three Musketeers, who are always with Pepe, suddenly appeared next to him.

The Holy Spirit talked, “Dishonest witnesses and liars won’t escape punishment [Proverbs 19:5]. I always tell people that there are bad consequences due to lies.”

“Hey, I’m feeling so sad now that I don’t need lecturing at the moment,” Pepe said ashamed.

“Well, it’s good that you feel bad,” Jesus spoke. “It’s always good to recognize one’s mistakes. ”

“It would be a terrible thing to not see them,” the Father added.

“Yep, some people don’t want to hear to the warnings I deliver to their hearts,” the Holy Spirit sighed in frustration.

“The good news is that you’re now on your way to recovery from lying!” Jesus cheerfully exclaimed.

“But what can I do? It’s a really bad habit! I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop!” Pepe confessed.

“Well, if you feel tempted to do it again, just remember how sad you feel right now,” the Father said.

Jesus suggested, “Or, you can just tell yourself the following: I always speak the truth and refuse to tell a lie.” [Proverbs 8:7]

“Great ideas,” Pepe felt a little better. “Thanks for always being by my side, God. I can always count on you even if I messed up!” Then he paused and in a reflective way added, “By the way, this love of yours also inspires me to not lie.”

The Three Musketeers smiled at him, and while fading from view the Holy Spirit sang to Pepe, “We trap ourselves by telling lies, but we stay out of troubleby living right.” [Proverbs 12:13]

“I didn’t know you’re also a singer!” Pepe laughed.

The sound of the rain forest came back to Pepe’s attention, and an urge to always tell the truth flourished in his heart.

Related Bible quotes:
Proverbs 4:24
1 Peter 3:10
Revelation 22:15