Eph 4:28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
We took this scripture to heart and had our children (two were in cahoots together) and had them go to who they stole from and apologize. They had to say exactly what they had done and then they had to pick up garbage from their lot for several days.
We also took one child to a jail, where we knew the officer that worked there. He took the child into a cell and explained this was where people go that steal. It made a believer!
For us… and this is how we handle lying. Your mileage may vary:
We sit the child down and explain to them that if/when they lie, they lose everyone’s trust. If they come and say, “Sally hit me,” how can we believe them? Maybe we should discipline the one saying it! We explain that if they say they are hurt, we cannot believe them. We explain the following:
Proverbs 6:12-19
12 A worthless person, a wicked man, Is the one who walks with a perverse mouth, 13 Who winks with his eyes, who signals with his feet, Who points with his fingers; 14 Who {with} perversity in his heart continually devises evil, Who spreads strife. 15 Therefore his calamity will come suddenly; Instantly he will be broken and there will be no healing. 16 http://davidpisarra.com/?p=158 There are six things which the LORD hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: 17 Haughty eyes, a Funchal lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, 18 A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil, 19 A false witness {who} utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers.
After that, we tell them that we do not want them to lie. Because it is so haneous, we will double the normal discipline to make a major impression.
If the child is old enough (over 3, perhaps) I would search your Bible, a concordance, or online Bible for the word “lie”. The NT has some great scripture that is pointed as to what happens to liars. It would be a wonderful segway into sharing man’s basic problem… sin and how Jesus Christ came to free us from that and eternal damnation.
Use these times as opportunities to share from God’s Word.
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