The story is told of a mother helping her son with his spelling assignment, and they came to the words “conscious” and “conscience.”  She asked her son, “Do you know the difference between these two words?”  He immediately replied, “Sure, Mom Conscious is when you are aware of something.  And conscience is when you wish you weren’t.”

The conscience is like a sharp square peg in our hearts. When we are confronted by a situation that calls for a right or wrong decision, that square begins to turn.  Its corner cuts into our hearts, warning us that we are facing a situation in which we must make a choice between good and evil.

When  he conscience is ignored repeatedly however, the corners of the square are gradually worn down, and it becomes a circle that twists and turns at will.  When the circle turns within our hearts, there is no inner sensation of warning.  In effect, we are left without a conscience.

A sound conscience is truly a gift from God.  Heed its warning signals early and you will be spared much pain and heartache.