Proverbs 11:3
The integrity of the honest keeps them on track; the deviousness of crooks brings them to ruin.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Believe it or not, there is an organization called the National Association for Shoplifting Prevention. According to information found at www.shoplifters.org, approximately 1 in 11 persons in our country today is a shoplifter. The reasons for shoplifting are varied, but many do not need the items and/or can afford to purchase them outright. These people get a “lift” from getting “something for nothing.” This “high” is more important to the shoplifter than the merchandise being stolen. Others steal to make up for a “loss” in their life…illness, job loss, the death of someone significant in their lives, a relationship breakup or dissolution, and more. Shoplifting may often make the person feel temporarily more in control.
Still others shoplift to relieve tension, anxiety, sadness or boredom, while others consider shoplifting a justifiable compensation for something lacking in their lives… payback for all they have given to others, how they feel they have been mistreated, or a specific experience. While many shoplifters fully expect to get caught at some point, they are often appalled to be placed in jail with “hardened criminals” for such a “petty crime.”
I used shoplifting as an example of dishonesty, but there are parallels for many areas of our life. You may be patting yourself on the back and saying, “Thank goodness this isn’t me!” But I ask you to take a good hard look at yourself. Are there other areas where you “shoplift?” Do you engage in other dishonest or deceptive behaviors in order to temporarily give yourself a “lift” or to compensate for some wrong you feel has been done against you? Do you embellish the truth to make yourself look better to others? Do you brag about how fast you drove to XYZ and didn’t get caught? Do you participate in illegal activities like underage drinking… or drug abuse? Do you cheat on your taxes… or even take extra condiments from the fast-food place “because they are ‘free’?”
Do you put on a good front in public to make everyone think that your life is hunky-dory, then conduct yourself in a totally different manner at home in front of your family and close friends? Do you pretty well thumb your nose at the world because some things have happened in your life and you feel entitled to do so? Are you one of those people who fumbles in his/her pocket for money when it comes time to pay the bill - then lets someone else pay… or “borrows” from others and never gives the items back…or pretends to be busy and lets someone else do all the work – then shares in the credit? Have you become comfortable with gossip, “white lies” and other “harmless petty crimes?"
There are countless ways in which we are all capable of dishonesty, if we are not careful and on constant guard. The adage that you can “give him enough rope and he’ll hang himself” often applies and our sins are discovered… and we have to “come clean” – at least temporarily. But it really shouldn’t matter whether we are ever caught in a lie or not. GOD knows! He sees how incorrigible we often are, and this breaks His heart. There really is no excuse… not the circumstances of our life, our childhood or upbringing, or our “innocence.” We all must strive to operate with more integrity if we want to be like Jesus.
Stop what you are doing today and talk to God. Tell Him that you know there may be areas of your life where even YOU are not aware that you are dishonest or lack integrity. Ask God to shine a bright light on your heart and reveal the places where you need to improve. Don’t risk even the slightest opportunity for ruin. Humbly call upon God to help you with this… and make every effort to stay on track and operate with honesty and integrity - in all things… and at all times.
©2013 Debbie Robus
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