Dialog

(The scene opens with all four puppets entering the scene. Sam is holding the large, shiny golden star, admiring it.)

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Sam: (Holding up the star) Look at this, everyone! Isn't it magnificent? It’s for the person who does the most good deed this week! The Golden Goodness Award!

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Gus: Ooooh, shiny! Does it come with a cookie?

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Penny: (Sighs) Everything comes with a cookie to you, Gus. But Sam, that’s a great idea! It’s important to do good things.

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Joy: It is important, Penny. But doing good things isn't really what our talk is about today.

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Sam: It’s not? But... shiny star! Good deeds!

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Joy: (Smiles gently) The star is a great reminder, Sam. But we’re talking about something that happens even before the good deed. We’re talking about Integrity and Righteousness.

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Gus: Row-what-us? That sounds like a vegetable. I don't like vegetables.

Penny: No, Gus, Righteousness. It sounds important.

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Joy: It is. Think of it this way. Integrity and Righteousness are like... this.

(Joy produces the simple, brown wooden block and places it next to the shiny star.)

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Sam: A block? But it’s not sparkly at all!

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Joy: That’s the point. See, the star is on the outside. It’s what people see. But the block… the block is strong on the inside. It’s what holds things up. Integrity is what you are on the inside, even when no one is looking.

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Penny: Oh! So like, if no one is around, do you still do the right thing? Is that integrity?

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Joy: Exactly, Penny! It’s being the same honest, true person in the dark as you are in the spotlight.

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Gus: (Looking shifty) So... if I’m in the kitchen, and no one is around, and I see a cookie on the counter... integrity means I... don't eat it?

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Sam: Right! Because if my mom asked me later, "Gus, did you eat that cookie?" I would have to tell the truth. Integrity means my insides match my outsides. I am an honest person, whether I’m caught or not.

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Joy: And that’s where Righteousness comes in. Righteousness isn’t about being perfect. It’s about living in a "right" way with God. It means our actions come from a heart that wants to follow Him.

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Penny: So righteousness is the reason we have integrity? Because we want to live a life that pleases God?

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Joy: Bingo, Penny. It’s not about getting the shiny star. It’s about having a heart that loves God so much, that being honest and good just becomes who you are.

 

Sam: (Looks at the star, then at the block. He puts the star down and picks up the block.) So, the block is more important than the star.

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Joy: The block is the foundation. If your life is built on the block of honesty and a right heart with God, then the good deeds—the shiny stars—will come naturally. And they’ll be real.

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Gus: So, what do we do if we mess up? What if my tummy wins and I eat the cookie?

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Joy: That’s a great question, Gus. That’s why we have a Savior, Jesus! When we mess up, we can tell God we’re sorry. He forgives us and helps us start again. He helps us build our inside-block stronger.

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Penny: So, righteousness is trusting God to help us be truthful and good on the inside.

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Sam: And integrity is living that truth out every day, with cookies and with everything else!

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Gus: (Sighs dramatically) I was afraid the cookies were involved.

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Joy: (Laughing) Everything comes back to cookies with you! But yes. God wants us to be people of integrity. People whose "yes" means "yes" and whose "no" means "no." People who are honest and upright, not for a gold star, but because we love Him.

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Sam: Wow. So maybe I should give this Golden Goodness Award to the person who shows the most integrity this week... quietly, without anyone even knowing!

 

Penny: But if we gave it to them quietly, they wouldn't know they won!

 

Joy: (Smiles) Maybe the best reward for integrity is knowing you’ve made God smile. And that’s a pretty great feeling, isn't it?

 

Gus: Is it as great as a cookie?

 

Sam, Penny, & Joy: (Laughing) YES, GUS!

 

Sam: Okay everyone, let’s try to be like the strong block this week. Let’s work on having integrity on the inside, so our outsides will shine for God!

 

ALL: Bye everyone!

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(They wave and leave)