Hey, Carpool Crew! Happy Monday, and welcome to week four of Proverbs for Your School Life! This week is all about doing the right thing, even when it’s hard. And today we’re talking about that reading log sitting on the counter... the one you’re supposed to fill out for the reading you didn’t exactly do. I’m Pastor Justin, and first, a big shout-out to Briggs, Canaan, and Axley in Greenbrier, Arkansas! Three of you in one carpool. I love it. Here’s the one thing I want you to remember for the ride: **The truth keeps your story simple.** Proverbs 11:3 says, “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the perversity of the treacherous destroys them.” Integrity means being honest about who you are and what you did, even when the truth might get you in trouble. Because here’s the problem with lying: One lie usually needs another lie. You fudge the reading log. Then your teacher asks what happened in the book. Now you need another story. Then your mom asks about the reading log. Now you need another one. Pretty soon you’re trying to remember a whole bunch of stuff that never even happened. **A lie has to be remembered. The truth doesn’t.** Jesus taught His followers to let their yes mean yes and their no mean no. Just tell the truth. So imagine it’s Sunday night. Your reading log says you need 120 minutes for the week. You did 40. The pen is sitting there. You could write 120. Nobody might ever know. But instead, you write 40. Then you tell your mom, “I didn’t read enough last week. I need to catch up this week.” Will she be thrilled? Probably not. You might find yourself spending a little extra time with a book tonight. But now it’s over. No fake story to remember. No wondering if you’re going to get caught. You told the truth, and now you can move forward. So here’s your one thing for today: **Find one place where you might be tempted to fudge the truth and tell the simple version instead.** Maybe it’s your reading log. Your score. Whether you finished your homework. Or the classic: “Did you brush your teeth?” Just tell the simple truth. “I didn’t do it. I need to fix it.” Let’s go back to the one thing I want you to remember: **The truth keeps your story simple.** Remember, no matter where you are or how you’re listening, God loves you. And parents, if this podcast helps your family, follow the show and check out Carpooling with Jesus+ for bonus episodes like Goodnight Psalms and Questions from the Backseat. And mark your calendar for Monday the 28th! A brand-new five-episode Heroes of the Bible journey drops with Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived and the guy who wrote most of the Proverbs we’ve been talking about this month. *(APPLE VERSION ONLY: And with a brand-new Heroes journey coming next Monday, this is a great week to check out the yearly option in Apple Podcasts. It’s $34.99 for the whole year, about three months free compared to paying monthly.)* Before you go, answer this together: **Where would it be easy to fudge the truth this week, and what would the honest answer sound like?** I’ll see you tomorrow on Carpooling with Jesus.
