I suspect that most people like to receive “full marks” on examinations. Since the first day when I walked through the gate of my elementary school, I was told to always do my best to get higher scores. And so, my friends and I always studied hard so that one day we might get “full marks” on an examination, regardless of the subject. As a reminder to study hard, I printed the following words on the covers of my books and pencil-boxes: “Study hard to get full marks.” When I was only eight years old and in the first grade, I had my chance to reach my goal of getting “full marks.”

Following my first formal examination in Chinese writing, I found myself very excited and nervous about the exam I had just taken a few hours before. This exam didn’t seem very difficult for me, and so I felt that just maybe, I could get “full marks.” This wish began as a small flame burning my heart as I began to imagine what an honor it would be for me, as well as for my family, if I, the only son of my parents, could get “full marks” on my very first formal examination! As time passed during the afternoon, my heart began beating faster and faster, and I could feel that the small flame that began burning in my heart had become a raging fire. I couldn’t wait to see my score and then run home to tell my parents.

Mrs. Wu, my chief teacher, walked over to me with a big sunny smile, put my papers face down on my desk, and whispered in my ear, “Good job, boy! You did a great job on this first exam!” I was so excited to see my “full marks” that I felt like shouting “Halleluiah!” I couldn’t wait to see my score. 

After she left my desk, I turned my papers over and immediately froze. I did not get “full marks,” but only 99.5%. There was one tiny little mistake in my writing which cost me 0.5 of a point. What a pity! I wanted “full marks” so badly that I felt I could reach out and grab it with my fingers, but it wasn’t to be. However, it was what I did next that was unthinkable.

With a deep breath, and when no one was looking, I used my eraser and carefully corrected my one mistake. A few minutes later, I raised my shaking hand saying, “Teacher, I think you have made a mistake on my paper!” With my heart beating like a drum, I pointed to the place where I had carefully made the correction. She turned to me, looked into my eyes, and picked up the papers from my sweating hands saying, “OK, I’ll check it again after class.” She smiled and took the papers away. I was so glad that I cheered up inside of my heart because I thought that I had finally succeeded in getting those “full marks.”

“Would you please come here?” said Mrs. Wu. “Let’s correct your marks together.” She took my hand and led me to her office. I felt happy and excited as we walked because I knew that she would see her mistake and give me the “full marks.” I was imagining the smiles on my parents’ faces when they knew I got my first “full marks,” but at same time, I was nervous and worried. I stood at her desk and lowered my head waiting to hear what she would say.

She smiled at me and asked, “Do you remember The Challenger, the space shuttle that exploded in the sky after launching two years ago? It was a big failure for the Americans and a big sorrow for the families of the astronauts. Can we turn back time to correct this mistake and save The Challenger now? Can the Americans announce to the world that the disaster didn’t happen?” I shook my head silently, as she continued to tell me, “We must always accept the consequences for what we have done. No matter how bad or how good it is, you can never change it, because it has already happened. That’s why we should do our best to do the right things and to always be good and honorable. Don’t you know that the wrong you have done will be with you, even if you correct it on the paper? Remember, you can’t save The Challenger now. The only thing you can do is to find out the problems, get rid of all the same mistakes in the future, and save the next Challenger with your honesty and courage.”

Needless to say, I felt too ashamed to show my face at that moment. As we say in China, I had “lost face.” Mrs. Wu continued, “I tell you what. I will give you my red pen. If you think you deserve full marks on your paper, you can just correct your score right now. But if you don’t think you deserve it, you can also take your papers back and leave the score that I gave you. You will have to choose. Do you want to save The Challenger, or let the tragedy stand as it is?” 

As Mrs. Wu put her red pen in front of me, I grabbed the papers from her desk as quickly as I could and held them tightly in my shaking hands. Then she walked over to me and smiled saying, “Good choice, boy! Even though you did not get ‘full marks’ on your paper, you got them on your character!” I left her office that day feeling such relief and joy, knowing that I decided to admit the truth, that even though I wanted “full marks,” I didn’t deserve them.   

“You can’t save The Challenger.” These words from Mrs. Wu have been with me for more than 20 years, reminding me to be the guy I should be all the time. I want to thank Mrs. Wu for showing me the most important thing in my life when I was so young, which is much more valuable than any “full marks” on a test paper. To be honest and have courage to face the mistakes we have made is the only way to get the real “full marks” in our lives.

Additional Comments – It goes without saying that both cheating and lying are not biblical responses to the difficult situations that often confront us. In fact, when we know that we are guilty of such things, they seem to “dog us” us with internal unrest. And this is far from the “peace” that God desires for all of us to experience as we face life’s difficulties. 

My student was not the first to experience such inner turmoil. You have probably heard the tragic story of David and Bathsheba. The short story is that David, the great King of Israel, committed adultery with the wife of one of his valiant soldiers. The affair seemed to be kept secret until she announced to David that she was with child. In order to make it look like the child was her husband’s (Uriah), David invited him in from the field, asked him how things were going with the troops, and then invited him to spend the night in his own home with his wife. Not wanting to enjoy time with his wife while the other troops were out in the field, he refused to go. And so, David sent him back to the field with a sealed note to the commander (Joab) that he put Uriah on the front line of the battle. And, as David hoped, Uriah was killed.

For the next six months, David had successfully covered up the affair. He believed that no one would discover the deception. But God had already spoken to a prophet named Nathan who approached David with the truth. The affair with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband may have been covered up from public view, but not from God. As a result, David confessed to Nathan that he had indeed “sinned against the LORD.” You can read the full story in 2 Samuel 11-12.

But David had much more to say about this in two of the Psalms he later wrote. In Psalm 32, David writes of his experience during the months of the cover-up: “When I kept silent about my sin, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night, your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. But then I acknowledged my sin to You and I did not cover up my iniquity. And when I confessed my transgressions to You, You forgave the guilt of my sin.”

His complete confession is found in another Psalm, Psalm 51. That psalm is incredibly moving as David peels back the layers of his heart as he openly admits to his transgressions. There are times when each of us need to do that, and if this is that time for you, I recommend that you simply open your Bible to Psalm 51, and as you read, make David’s prayer of confession your own.

In the end, David experienced God’s peace. Here is what he said, “How blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit there is no deceit” (Ps. 32:1-2). In the heart of such a man, there is peace, the gift that God provides in response to our confession of sin, whatever it might be. May He grant each of us His peace.