Proverbs 10:9
A good man has firm footing, but a crook will slip and fall.
The
Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by
permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois
60188. All rights reserved.
A few weeks ago as we
emerged from church, Timothy was telling me all about Cain and Abel…how
Cain was so dishonest and unkind – and how Cain even killed his brother,
Abel. I agreed with Timothy about how terribly Cain behaved, and he
looked up at me and asked, “Did you know him?” Yes, I appear to be as
old as the stories of the Garden of Eden!
Our church-wide Sunday
school curriculum focuses on the “Creation Story” from Genesis this
month. Next month, the study will be on Adam and Eve…and making good
choices. I was reviewing the teaching guide for pre-K in preparation to
substitute this Sunday, and I noticed that the theme for October 11th
is “Making Good Choices.” The following Sunday, the theme is “Sometimes
Bad Things Happen to Good People,”…and the FOLLOWING Sunday, it is
“Sometimes GOOD things Happen to BAD People!”
I am glad that our
little ones are learning lessons about honesty and integrity, because
playing fast and loose with the truth and how we treat others is a
slippery slope. Sadly, lots of children learn at an early age how to
manipulate the truth to suit their own agendas. They figure out how to
pin blame on others, to deny culpability, or simply to make up things to
sway outcomes in their favor. And sometimes, they learn to take out
their frustrations, quite literally, on their siblings!
By the
time we are adults, we have often managed to make a bigger mess by
trying to cover our tracks. It may seem like some people “get away with
murder,” but almost always, attempts to be “shady” backfire. The truth
has a way of coming out – sometimes in unpleasant and embarrassing
ways. Attempts to explain away misdeeds often end up making us look
more foolish than ever. How we treat others will reflect on our
character…and follow us into every arena – business, social, personal
and spiritual.
Sometimes a simple and sincere, “I’m sorry” or “I
was wrong” would serve us far better than the lies, exaggerations and
manipulations we offer. Often, pausing to check our thoughts, words and
actions BEFORE we do something would save everyone a world of
heartache, frustration – and possibly - embarrassment.
God
calls us to operate honestly and with integrity. With His help, we can
do the work on the “front end” to prevent any opportunity for a need to
“backpedal” after the fact. We can ask Him to help us always speak the
truth…to walk in His ways and demonstrate kindness and integrity in all
that we say and do. When we walk with God and honor our commitment to
Him…when we operate in honesty and fairness…there is no need to even
think about exposure and consequences.
Aren’t you ready to walk
upright…to live with a clear conscience in the truths of Jesus Christ?
It’s never too late to make this change and “come clean” in His name.
Won’t you call on Him to help you this? Will this be the day that you
regain your firm footing with Jesus? Don’t you think it should be?
©2015 Debbie Robus
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