Hey, Carpool Crew! It’s day twenty-two of Proverbs for Your School Life. Today we’re talking about those ten seconds right after you mess up. Nobody saw it. The door is right there. And your brain says... “RUN.” I’m Pastor Justin, and first, a big shout-out to Bowen and Sadie in Travelers Rest, South Carolina! So glad you’re riding with us today. Here’s the one thing I want you to remember for the ride: **Owning it beats hiding it.** Proverbs 28:13 says, “The one who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy.” In other words, hiding your mess doesn’t make it disappear. **A hidden mess-up doesn’t go away. It just follows you around.** But when you own what you did, you can deal with it and move forward. Jesus once told a story about a son who had really messed up. Eventually, the son decided to go home and tell his father the truth. And do you remember what his father did? He ran to him. The son came home ready to confess, and he found a father ready to show him mercy. That’s what makes telling the truth worth it. Now imagine you’re at school. You’re bouncing a soccer ball inside, which you already know you’re not supposed to do. Bounce. Bounce. WHACK. Your teacher’s water bottle goes over, and water runs across a stack of papers on her desk. She’s in the hallway. Nobody saw. You could walk right out. Or you could grab some paper towels and, when she comes back, say five words: **“That was me. I’m sorry.”** Will she still be frustrated? Maybe. Could you still lose the soccer ball for a while? Yep. Owning what you did doesn’t mean there won’t be consequences. It means you don’t have to hide. You clean up the water. You tell the truth. You take the consequence. And that knot in your stomach can finally start to loosen. **The hiding version could follow you around all day. The owning version might be over in two minutes.** So here’s your one thing for today: If you mess up, say these five words before hiding gets a vote: **“That was me. I’m sorry.”** And grown-ups, we need those five words too. Let’s go back to the one thing I want you to remember: **Owning it beats hiding it.** Remember, no matter where you are or how you’re listening, God loves you. And parents, if Carpooling with Jesus has been helpful for your family, would you take 30 seconds and leave a rating or review? It helps more families find the show, and it really does make a difference. And tomorrow, What Should I Do If Wednesday goes one step further: **What should I do if I cheated and nobody found out?** That episode is for our Carpooling with Jesus+ family. Before you go, answer this together: **Is there something you need to own today? Who do you need to say, “That was me. I’m sorry,” to?** I’ll see you tomorrow on Carpooling with Jesus.
