A youngster was shooting rocks with a slingshot.
He could never hit his target.
But as he returned to his grandma’s backyard, he spied her pet
duck.
So, on impulse he took aim and let fly.
The stone hit hard, and the duck was dead.
That young boy Johnny panicked and hid the bird in the woodpile,
only to look up & see his sister Sally watching.
After lunch that day, grandma told Sally to help with the dishes.
Sally responded, "Johnny told me he wanted to help in the
kitchen today. Didn’t you, Johnny?"
And she whispered to him, "Remember the duck..."
And so, Johnny did the dishes.
'Coz what choice did he have?
For the next several weeks he was at the sink often.
Sometimes for his duty, sometimes for his sin.
"Remember the duck..." Sally would whisper when he
objected.
So weary of the chore, he decided that any punishment would be
better than washing more dishes, so he confessed to killing the duck.
"I know, Johnny, I know..." his grandma said, giving him a
hug. "I was standing at the window and saw the whole thing. Because I love
you, I forgave you. I wondered how long you would let Sally your sister make a
slave out of you."
(Inspired by and adapted from Max Lucado's writing, Guilt and Grace, and Steven
Cole's article, Forgiveness)
"Most of us aren't even in your
league."
—Max
Lucado
