Give me Wisdom

The other day I served my last day of a two month assignment with a class.  I had come to like alot of these children so I thought I would give them a "last day treat."  I gave the girls a candy bracelet and gave the boys a little maze. 

I was clearing my desk of some things when I heard the yell of Mrs Baaaarrrrrrfield.  I immediately looked up and two little girls were having a discussion.  I had assigned another girl to pass out the bracelets.  Unbeknownst to me, they were all attached in separate wrappers and in tearing them apart, she broke one of the bracelets.  She continued to pass them out and one little girl got the broken one.

Allegedly, the one receiving the broken bracelet immediately switched the bracelet with the girl sitting next to her giving her the broken one.  It was that child that let out the yell.  I came to the rescue but I found that it was not an easy rescue. 

I asked both girls who the bracelet belong to.  One little girl said "it's mine-the broken one is hers!"  Of course the other girl said "No it's mine - hers is broken."  To top it off, she had already opened the package and was wearing the bracelet, the broken one lay unopened. 

I asked the girl passing them out which girl had received the broken one and sure enough, she said the one that was wearing the bracelet had taken it from the other girl.  What a dilemma.

I pulled that little girl out of class and asked her whose bracelet she was wearing....for heaven's sake it was candy!  Through tears she said "Mrs. Barfield this is my bracelet, she got the broken one."  I then brought the other girl out and she said "Mrs Barfield, she switched the bracelets, she took mine.  Hers was broken." 

Well once again I felt like a character in the Bible...Solomon.  God asked Solomon "Ask for whatever you want me to give you" [1 Kings 3:5] to which Solomon responded "give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish right from wrong." [v9]  

Oh to have the wisdom of Solomon.  In fact, the very first situation that tested his gift was a situation involving two women that were both claiming a baby belong to each of them.  Solomon's decision was to cut the baby in two and give each woman half.   One mother said "yes" do it but the real mother said that she would not do that to her child. Instead give the child to the other woman.  This is how he was able to determine who the real mother was. [v 16-28]

I did not have that option.  If I gave the bracelet to one, the other would suffer-If I gave it to the other, there would be hurt feelings. So......I did what my heart told me to do-take back both bracelets and neither gets the bracelets.

It was a painful decision as the little girl that was crying now cried harder.  The girl who originally had received the unbroken bracelet was unfazed. It was a difficult for me because at that moment I was crying out "GIVE ME WISDOM!"

I pulled the crying girl outside and told her that taking something that was not hers is wrong.  She stuck by her story "It was mine."  I will never know if I made the right decision so until the day God takes me home, I will continue to cry out "Give me Wisdom!"

The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this so God said to him "Since you have asked for this and and not for long life or wealth for  yourself, nor have asked the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice.  I will do what you have asked I will give you a wise and discerning heart so that there will never have been anyone like you nor will there ever be."
1 Kings 3:11-12