Don't Go To Bed With Gum In Your Mouth by Esther Bandy

I discovered chewing gum when I was only three. I loved to chew it in the morning, in the afternoon, and even in the evening. It was so tasty; it seemed like a great idea to chew it at night, too. But Mama always told me, “Don’t go to bed with gum in your mouth.” I couldn’t understand why she said that. What was wrong with chewing gum in bed, especially when it tasted so good?

I usually tried to obey Mama, but sometimes I did what I wanted to do instead of what she told me to do. The night I went to bed with gum in my mouth, I learned the importance of minding Mama. What happened next is a favorite family story. Years later, I even wrote a poem about it. If you’re curious, keep reading.

Don’t Go To Bed With Gum In Your Mouth

“Don’t go to bed with gum in your mouth,” Mama used to say.

I listened to what Mama said, and I tried to obey.

But one night when my chewing gum was still so good and tasty,

I didn’t want to throw it out. That would be too hasty.

I climbed in bed and said, “Good night.” Then Mama tucked me in.

She kissed me and turned out the light, and I chewed gum again.

I chewed until I fell asleep. Then, when the morning came,

I woke up, thought of gum, smiled, and tried to chew again.

I tried to chew and tried again, but my gum wasn’t there.

I searched my bed. “It’s lost,” I said. “My gum’s not anywhere.”

My brother looked at me and laughed. “What’s that stuck in your hair?”

I put my hand upon my head and found my gum right there.

“What can I do? Will Mom be mad?” I whispered through my tears.

He said, “Stop crying and I’ll help. I have a great idea!”

Then he got Mama’s scissors, and he cut my long blonde hair.

He cut and cut and cut and cut. My hair fell everywhere.

We hid my hair under the bed so Mama wouldn’t know.

But when she saw my short-haired head

I don’t remember what she said,

But I won’t chew my gum in bed.

Never again! Oh no!

I knew it was wrong to disobey Mama, but I did it anyway. My brother tried to help me hide the evidence, but Mama still realized what I’d done when she saw my hair. That’s when I learned the importance of minding Mama.

Thousands of years before I was even born, God created the Garden of Eden and put Adam and Eve in the garden to take care of it. He told them they could eat from any tree in the garden except from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. When they disobeyed God and ate fruit from that specific tree, they sinned and developed a personal knowledge of evil.

I used to wonder why eating that fruit was a sin, but finally, I understood that their sin wasn’t just eating fruit. If they ate from any other tree, there would have been no problem. But they decided to disobey God and eat from the only tree that was forbidden. Their disobedience was sin, and that gave them a personal knowledge of evil. They were ashamed and tried to hide from God, but they learned that we can never hide our sin from God. He knows everything we think, say, and do.

Consider these verses from God’s Word, the Bible:

“The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.” (Proverbs 15:3 KJV)

“For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23 KJV)

“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4 KJV)

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23 KJV)

God loves us, so when God prohibits something, it’s for our own good. Disobeying God is sin, and sin has consequences. God is Holy and Just. He must punish sin, but He made a way for our sin to be forgiven. The Lord Jesus Christ, the perfect sinless son of God, willingly took our punishment for us.

The Bible says in John 3:16 (KJV), “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

I’m thankful God made a way for us to be forgiven. Aren’t you?

Esther Bandy

When Esther Bandy was five, a neighbor taught a Good News Club. She head the gospel there, and she received the Lord Jesus Christ as her Savior. That was the most important day in her life. She later worked as a nurse, a missionary, a director with Child Evangelism Fellowship, and a Spanish teacher at a Christian school. Now, she’s an author. She has been published in two anthologies; Treasures of a Woman’s Heart and Triumph from Tragedy. Her debut middle grade novel, Under the Tangerine Tree, was published in 2022.

“Don’t Ask Why, Ask What” was previously published in “Triumph from Tragedy”.

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