"Sorry, Father!"

What redeeming words found in the story of a old man, too old to have children but desperately wanting a son, who is gifted with just that. His son, because he knows he is not really the man’s child, feels like he must prove to him that he is brave, truthful, and unselfish. He wants to do what is right and listen to his conscious, but he falters and falls away. He cuts school, hangs out with a very bad crowd, and picks up the habit of lying, all because his so-called-friends told him how much pleasure it would give him. He doesn’t go home when he is supposed to and travels to a place where he is promised pleasure. This boy learns later on that his father is in great danger. He is reminded of how he used to be, what he used to want and the direction of his life and his love for his father. He goes out and risks his life to save his father, who never stopped loving him, even when he had completely turned away from what was right and true. He repents crying “Sorry, Father!”. He returns home, returns to his goals and no longer feels the need to prove himself as a son, but knows just how deep his father’s love runs for him.

Have you heard this story before? I know you have.

It is the story of Pinocchio: A lesson in honesty….and so much more.