Permanent Marker Mistakes

…[love] keeps no record of wrongs.  1 Corinthians 13:5

Props: paper, pencil, eraser and permanent marker

            How many of you like to do schoolwork? (Allow for response).  How many like to take tests? (Allow for response).  The one good thing about tests and schoolwork is that you get to do all of your work in pencil.  Pencils are great because they all have erasers.  And erasers are there to take care of all your mistakes by making them disappear.  Your teachers all know that you are human (at least most of the time you act human) and you make mistakes.  That’s why they let you use a pencil—so you can erase your mistakes.  Sometimes they might make you use a pencil, knowing that it will save you lots of trouble in the end if you can erase your mistakes and not have to start all over. 

            Can you imagine what school would be like if the only thing you could ever use to do your work was a permanent marker?  None of you would ever make it past kindergarten.  Using a permanent marker would mean that you couldn’t ever correct any of your mistakes.  So the whole time you were trying to learn to write the alphabet, you’d just have to keep starting all over again!

            All of us are human and sometimes have to use erasers to make our mistakes go away.  And we make more mistakes than just writing.  Sometimes you say or do things to hurt your friends’ feelings.  And they do the same things to you.  (In pencil, write offenses on the paper such as lying, cheating, fighting, etc.)  They might lie about you, cheat when playing a game, or fight with you.  Some of you remember the mistakes of others forever, and you never want to forgive them.  (Go over one or two of the words in permanent marker).   The Bible tells us that love keeps no record of wrongs.  In other words, it erases the wrongs that people do.  (Erase the other word or words).  Love forgives and forgets because true love is quick to forgive.  You can make a choice today to forgive others and show true love to them, even as God has shown His love for you.