THREE ANGELS BROADCASTING NETWORK DEVOTIONAL
White Mary Janes and Colored Chalk.
By Tammy Chance
April 9th, 2026
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6
The other night, I couldn’t sleep. I tossed and turned, and finally, a memory from long ago surfaced. When I was about five, I lived a few doors down from the only other little girl on our street. Her name was Pam, and she was three or four years older than I was. Pam’s mother had passed away when she was very young, so she was being raised by her dad and grandmother. He earned a pretty good living, so she had lots of nice things. But on the other hand, my dad was disabled, and we struggled to get even the necessities of life. So every time I went to Pam’s house, I marveled at her pretty clothes and nice toys.
One summer day, I walked down to her house to see if she wanted to play. The front door was open, so I assumed someone was home. I knocked on the screen door several times, but no one came, so I stepped in and called for her.
Still no answer.
Then, as I turned to go, I spotted Pam’s shoes. Church shoes, school shoes, all lined up in a row—and several pairs of each! How could any little girl be so lucky to have that many shoes? I wondered. And then, I saw them! Right there at the end of the row were my favorites—a shiny white pair of Mary Janes that she only wore to church. I picked them up and held them close. I loved those shoes, and I didn’t have any that were nearly as nice. Then I glanced up at the coffee table, and my heart skipped a beat. A brand-new box of colored chalk! Oh, I loved colored chalk more than anything in the world, and Pam always had lots of it!
Many years later, when I was an adult, Mom told me how she was in the yard talking to a neighbor when she looked up and saw me slapping down the road in white Mary Janes that were at least three sizes too big—my old shoes in one hand, while the other clutched a brand-new box of colored chalk!
“Tammy, what are you doing in those shoes?” Mom asked.
“Oh, Pam has lots of nice shoes, and I don’t have any, so I took them.”
“Do you mean she gave them to you?” Mom quizzed me.
“No, Pam wasn’t home,” I answered truthfully, not realizing what I had done.
By now, my mom’s face had a funny puzzled look. “Tammy, do you mean to tell me that you just took them from Pam’s house when nobody was home? And by the way, did you just take the colored chalk you have in your hand, too?”
“Yes,” I shook my head affirmatively. I’m sure my forthrightness shocked her!
“Tammy Shelton, what in the world would make you do such a thing? Don’t you realize that’s stealing?”
As innocent as a newborn babe, I answered, “No, Mom. I didn’t steal. You see, Pam has lots of nice shoes and dresses, and I don’t have any. So I thought I would just take these, and she won’t care, because she has others.”
At this point my mother was not very happy with me. “You march yourself right back down to Pam’s house and put those things back exactly where you got them, and when you get back you are getting a spanking!” she said.
But our neighbor had seen the whole thing, and quickly said, “Goldie, don’t spank that child. She honestly thought what she did was okay. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t have come marching down the street in plain view.”
My neighbor was right, of course. In my innocent, five-year-old mind, I was totally justified in having those nice shoes and that new box of chalk. Pam had others, and could always get more; but I couldn’t. At that young age, I still thought life was fair—and what could be fairer than taking something from someone who had plenty, when I had none?
The Bible says we are born with sinful natures. The fact that I justified my actions in my mind confirms that statement. But, don’t we all sometimes justify things in much the same way? You know, Yes, I did that. But it’s because he did such and such! Or, I wouldn’t have said, that but she provoked me!
Justification. What a deadly weapon! We justify things to ourselves. But can we justify them to God? After all, He is the only One that counts!
White Mary Janes and Colored Chalk.
By Tammy Chance
April 9th, 2026
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6
The other night, I couldn’t sleep. I tossed and turned, and finally, a memory from long ago surfaced. When I was about five, I lived a few doors down from the only other little girl on our street. Her name was Pam, and she was three or four years older than I was. Pam’s mother had passed away when she was very young, so she was being raised by her dad and grandmother. He earned a pretty good living, so she had lots of nice things. But on the other hand, my dad was disabled, and we struggled to get even the necessities of life. So every time I went to Pam’s house, I marveled at her pretty clothes and nice toys.
One summer day, I walked down to her house to see if she wanted to play. The front door was open, so I assumed someone was home. I knocked on the screen door several times, but no one came, so I stepped in and called for her.
Still no answer.
Then, as I turned to go, I spotted Pam’s shoes. Church shoes, school shoes, all lined up in a row—and several pairs of each! How could any little girl be so lucky to have that many shoes? I wondered. And then, I saw them! Right there at the end of the row were my favorites—a shiny white pair of Mary Janes that she only wore to church. I picked them up and held them close. I loved those shoes, and I didn’t have any that were nearly as nice. Then I glanced up at the coffee table, and my heart skipped a beat. A brand-new box of colored chalk! Oh, I loved colored chalk more than anything in the world, and Pam always had lots of it!
Many years later, when I was an adult, Mom told me how she was in the yard talking to a neighbor when she looked up and saw me slapping down the road in white Mary Janes that were at least three sizes too big—my old shoes in one hand, while the other clutched a brand-new box of colored chalk!
“Tammy, what are you doing in those shoes?” Mom asked.
“Oh, Pam has lots of nice shoes, and I don’t have any, so I took them.”
“Do you mean she gave them to you?” Mom quizzed me.
“No, Pam wasn’t home,” I answered truthfully, not realizing what I had done.
By now, my mom’s face had a funny puzzled look. “Tammy, do you mean to tell me that you just took them from Pam’s house when nobody was home? And by the way, did you just take the colored chalk you have in your hand, too?”
“Yes,” I shook my head affirmatively. I’m sure my forthrightness shocked her!
“Tammy Shelton, what in the world would make you do such a thing? Don’t you realize that’s stealing?”
As innocent as a newborn babe, I answered, “No, Mom. I didn’t steal. You see, Pam has lots of nice shoes and dresses, and I don’t have any. So I thought I would just take these, and she won’t care, because she has others.”
At this point my mother was not very happy with me. “You march yourself right back down to Pam’s house and put those things back exactly where you got them, and when you get back you are getting a spanking!” she said.
But our neighbor had seen the whole thing, and quickly said, “Goldie, don’t spank that child. She honestly thought what she did was okay. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t have come marching down the street in plain view.”
My neighbor was right, of course. In my innocent, five-year-old mind, I was totally justified in having those nice shoes and that new box of chalk. Pam had others, and could always get more; but I couldn’t. At that young age, I still thought life was fair—and what could be fairer than taking something from someone who had plenty, when I had none?
The Bible says we are born with sinful natures. The fact that I justified my actions in my mind confirms that statement. But, don’t we all sometimes justify things in much the same way? You know, Yes, I did that. But it’s because he did such and such! Or, I wouldn’t have said, that but she provoked me!
Justification. What a deadly weapon! We justify things to ourselves. But can we justify them to God? After all, He is the only One that counts!
THREE ANGELS BROADCASTING NETWORK DEVOTIONAL
White Mary Janes and Colored Chalk.
By Tammy Chance
April 9th, 2026
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6
The other night, I couldn’t sleep. I tossed and turned, and finally, a memory from long ago surfaced. When I was about five, I lived a few doors down from the only other little girl on our street. Her name was Pam, and she was three or four years older than I was. Pam’s mother had passed away when she was very young, so she was being raised by her dad and grandmother. He earned a pretty good living, so she had lots of nice things. But on the other hand, my dad was disabled, and we struggled to get even the necessities of life. So every time I went to Pam’s house, I marveled at her pretty clothes and nice toys.
One summer day, I walked down to her house to see if she wanted to play. The front door was open, so I assumed someone was home. I knocked on the screen door several times, but no one came, so I stepped in and called for her.
Still no answer.
Then, as I turned to go, I spotted Pam’s shoes. Church shoes, school shoes, all lined up in a row—and several pairs of each! How could any little girl be so lucky to have that many shoes? I wondered. And then, I saw them! Right there at the end of the row were my favorites—a shiny white pair of Mary Janes that she only wore to church. I picked them up and held them close. I loved those shoes, and I didn’t have any that were nearly as nice. Then I glanced up at the coffee table, and my heart skipped a beat. A brand-new box of colored chalk! Oh, I loved colored chalk more than anything in the world, and Pam always had lots of it!
Many years later, when I was an adult, Mom told me how she was in the yard talking to a neighbor when she looked up and saw me slapping down the road in white Mary Janes that were at least three sizes too big—my old shoes in one hand, while the other clutched a brand-new box of colored chalk!
“Tammy, what are you doing in those shoes?” Mom asked.
“Oh, Pam has lots of nice shoes, and I don’t have any, so I took them.”
“Do you mean she gave them to you?” Mom quizzed me.
“No, Pam wasn’t home,” I answered truthfully, not realizing what I had done.
By now, my mom’s face had a funny puzzled look. “Tammy, do you mean to tell me that you just took them from Pam’s house when nobody was home? And by the way, did you just take the colored chalk you have in your hand, too?”
“Yes,” I shook my head affirmatively. I’m sure my forthrightness shocked her!
“Tammy Shelton, what in the world would make you do such a thing? Don’t you realize that’s stealing?”
As innocent as a newborn babe, I answered, “No, Mom. I didn’t steal. You see, Pam has lots of nice shoes and dresses, and I don’t have any. So I thought I would just take these, and she won’t care, because she has others.”
At this point my mother was not very happy with me. “You march yourself right back down to Pam’s house and put those things back exactly where you got them, and when you get back you are getting a spanking!” she said.
But our neighbor had seen the whole thing, and quickly said, “Goldie, don’t spank that child. She honestly thought what she did was okay. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t have come marching down the street in plain view.”
My neighbor was right, of course. In my innocent, five-year-old mind, I was totally justified in having those nice shoes and that new box of chalk. Pam had others, and could always get more; but I couldn’t. At that young age, I still thought life was fair—and what could be fairer than taking something from someone who had plenty, when I had none?
The Bible says we are born with sinful natures. The fact that I justified my actions in my mind confirms that statement. But, don’t we all sometimes justify things in much the same way? You know, Yes, I did that. But it’s because he did such and such! Or, I wouldn’t have said, that but she provoked me!
Justification. What a deadly weapon! We justify things to ourselves. But can we justify them to God? After all, He is the only One that counts!
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