I am not smarter than a 3rd grader...

Last night, I got bested by a third grader.  Here's the story.

The lesson here is to "Stand up for the truth and tell about Jesus."  I make the kids say that many times during the story.  The little kids, I make stand up when they say the line.  The teenagers, I felt lucky that they actually said the line at all.  I also start out with a game about telling the truth.  I say a statement, and if it is true, the kids stand up.  If they stand up, they get a piece of candy.  This has worked well until last night.  The 2nd and 3rd graders.  I had two children (one in each class) who would not back down.  The statement was, "I am always kind to everyone."  It's pretty general, but we all have been mean to someone.  But each of these children, at least in their minds, do not think that they have been mean.

I went through the list, "You mean that if I talked to your Mom, Dad, brother or sister, they would tell me you were always nice to them?"  They both nodded their heads in affirmation.

"You have never made anyone cry or mad?" I asked.

  "No."

"You know that this is a lesson about telling the truth?"  I looked them straight in the eye.

"I don't think I believe you."  But, I still had a lesson to teach, so I gave them each a piece of candy and went on.   I mean, I think I just got beat by nine year olds.

If someone really believes in their minds that they are telling the truth, I can call them out, but do I want to embarass them or get angry?  I went to one of the children's mother and told her what happen.  Her response was, "Child is the worst of all my kids.  Child is behind everything that goes on in my house."

Yeah, I got beat by a 3rd grader.

1 John 3:18
Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.