A Moment To Praise 7.6.20

A Moment To Praise 7.6.20

Honesty…

I want to share something with all of you that has been bothering me all week. I saw a meme on Facebook depicting a picture of a suitcase full of money. The words accompanying the photo said, “If you found this in an airport, what would you do?”

I started to read the answers, thinking that I would see people responding that they would, of course, turn it in to authorities. Sadly, I was so very wrong.  Every person who read the meme and chose to reply said that they would be out of there and they would be taking the money with them. They’d be off on a fancy trip, buying a new car, a house, or expensive jewelry. I was truly shocked by all of the replies. Not one person who commented said that they would give it over to the authorities in hopes of the rightful, panicked owners receiving what was theirs.

I began to ponder the thought of taking something that clearly wasn’t mine. Would I ever be able to do this? I know myself well enough to know that I would not. I would instantly start thinking, and questions would race through my mind. What if that money was intended for someone’s heart transplant? What if it was intended to pay for a child’s stay at a hospital? So many “what-ifs” would run through my mind. I’m sure you get my point. I also would recognize that it wouldn’t be what God wanted from me.

Taught or not

I do believe that honesty is either taught or it is not. In my Christian upbringing, there was a very strict code of conduct that my mother and father set forth in regards to honesty and truthfulness. There were numerous times throughout my childhood when a sibling of mine or I would be made to return a pencil we accidentally brought home from the neighbor’s house. We as a family had many talks on being an honest, forthright person so that people can trust you in all situations, large or small, and have no doubts about your integrity and truthfulness.

I recall countless times that we were sent back to the Dairy Queen window when too much change was given or sent back into the grocery store when we received an extra item or bottle of “pop” in our grocery bag (yes, in western PA, it’s pop). Not only that, but in moments when we told a lie and were caught, we were made to apologize for the lie and then had to prove that we were worthy of someone’s trust again.

My parents knew that in terms of both the big things as well as the small things, honesty mattered.

A Moment To Praise 7.6.20 in Scripture

New International Version
Luke 16:10

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.

This scripture sums it all up!

Integrity – the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles.

God expects us to be honest, even with that extra quarter of change we receive. He calls us to have integrity. God is watching how we respond to life’s situations, even if no one else is. Being truthful when we think that no one is watching shows a much deeper sense of integrity. I believe firmly that God wants to see this characteristic of integrity in all of us.

Empathy – the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.

This also shows that you value people as well as the feelings of the person on the other end of an action.  I go back to what I said in the beginning of this devotional. Empathize. Put yourself in the shoes of the person who lost the money, gave you too much change, miscounted and gave you too much product at the store, or whatever the case may be. It is good for us to have empathy for the potential negative impact their mistake, whether in your favor or not, may have on them. Furthermore, show them care and concern. This is how we show love for our brothers and sisters; by actions – large and small.

Wink from God

I want to offer you a final story, something I will call a wink from God. My brother was recently at a store and dropped his wallet in the parking lot when getting into his car. It wasn’t until he arrived home that he realized that he didn’t have it. Before too long, there was a knock on his door. It was a stranger holding my brother’s wallet out to him saying, “I found this in the parking lot of the store, here you go.”

The man made sure that my brother knew that everything was still in his wallet, and that all of his money and cards were where he’d left them. My brother was grateful and thanked the man profusely. He was impressed that the man drove to his home, rang his doorbell, and physically handed over his wallet. He also was very pleasantly surprised at the man’s integrity and honesty. It’s sad that in this world, living with integrity and honesty is not the normal standard. Perhaps you will join me and work to change that fact in hopes of a better world.

A Moment To Praise 7.6.20 in Song

Check out this beautiful song: https://youtu.be/lDcTvtuuVU8

God Bless and have a great week!