“A good memory is needed once we have lied.” – Pierre Corneille

Growing up, I rarely regarded any event that happened in my life to be something I would later reflect on. There are many things that have happened that I now regard as powerful life lessons, providing insight that would otherwise be non-existent. Though I feel in the Puritan sense that I never regarded these events as being signs for salvation or placed me amongst God’s graces, there is a sense of predestination that seem to occur just at the right moment. Looking back and trying to keep a Puritan state of mind, I remember the first time I told a lie. Sinful yes, but it was the overwhelming sense of regret, pain, and remorse that made me realize what I did as a 4-6 year old (I really don’t remember how old I was) was indeed wrong. At this point in my life, I had never been told not to lie. I’m sure it didn’t occur to my parents that a preschooler would be lying in the first place and looking back on it, I have no idea what compelled me to tell my teacher that I owned every movie ever made. Listing several movies that I had seen on the shelves at WalMart, I knew as I said each one “Godzilla, The Blob, Surf Ninjas…” that I had neither seen nor owned any of them. The pain didn’t settle in until I was tucked in that night and left in the dark to reflect about the lie I had told. It proved too much for my young heart to handle. Within the hour I had ran into my parent’s room with a confession for the ages. Through my tears I managed to explain that I had told a lie and begged for their forgiveness. Though what I’m sure was highly amusing to my parents, was the nightmare of a day I had when I went back to school. As punishment, they made sure I stood up in front of the entire preschool class and confess what I had done. My survival through that seemingly trying time makes me think of the factors that influenced me to lie and subsequently feel bad about it at such a young age. Though I don’t see my confession a plea of forgiveness to God or my apology as a means to aid my heavenly pursuit, It is something that has stuck in my mind and just maybe has profound meaning for the state of my eternal soul.