Proverbs 11:1-3
God hates cheating in the marketplace;
he loves it when business is aboveboard.
The stuck-up fall flat on their faces,
but down-to-earth people stand firm.
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.
My dad was a jack-of-all-trades who “wore several hats” in his lifetime. He recapped tires, owned a welding shop and worked as a welder on construction projects across two states. He was a licensed funeral director, a firefighter, and an EMT. My dad owned and operated a cultured marble manufacturing business. And somewhere in there, he worked as a fishing guide on the lake that surrounds our community. I’ve probably even missed a few jobs that my dad performed, but you get the picture. In each “occupation,” Daddy tried his best to conduct his business with integrity and humility. My dad was anything but a phony!
Countless homes around our community are adorned to this day with wrought-iron railings, chimney caps, metal stairways and more that my dad made in his welding shop. Dozens of houses feature cultured marble counter tops, showers, whirlpool tubs and more that Daddy created at “The Sink House.”
My dad worked with a lot of “high-end” clients…and many of them were plenty demanding. The “swirl” of this marble piece didn’t track in the preferred direction (you get what you get when you create a piece of marble!), so Daddy would make another. He would struggle and “cipher” and pound away at a piece of steel until he got the metal to look exactly as the client envisioned. The customer was always right…even if the end result was that my dad almost paid THEM to create their “masterpiece!”
My dad was by no means a wealthy man in terms of money and possessions. But on the day of his funeral, the chapel could not hold all who came to pay their respects. He built a reputation for fairness and integrity. His word was his bond. He served in his church - as a Sunday school teacher and on countless committees. He comforted grieving families…and nurtured his own. None of us is perfect…and neither was my dad. But I learned from both of my parents that one of the most valuable assets we have is our integrity.
Life can deal each of us some pretty mean blows – and my parents have not received a “pass” in that department. But their demonstrations of steadfast faith in God in the midst of challenges – and even a few dealings with crooked or dishonest people – have represented the tenets of these scripture verses well. God didn’t promise to make us rich and famous – or to take away all of our problems and challenges. But He did promise to stand beside us and soften the blows.
We are all facing challenges of some sort…maybe not today, but they will come at some point. Difficult and dishonest people will enter our lives…stuck up “know-it-alls” will try to distract us, at best…and sometimes disrupt our course with their rhetoric and antics. But we must remain faithful and focused on God and HIS will. We must operate in His commands through Jesus Christ to “love others as God loves us – and as we love ourselves.”
Ultimately, God will deal with the crooks who lie, cheat and steal – and those who mistreat others along the way. Let’s not be among them! Let’s take the high road and stay focused on serving God according to His will. Our reputation as true Disciples of Christ is at stake. I don’t want to risk any damage to mine…do you?
©2015 Debbie Robus
he loves it when business is aboveboard.
The stuck-up fall flat on their faces,
but down-to-earth people stand firm.
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.
My dad was a jack-of-all-trades who “wore several hats” in his lifetime. He recapped tires, owned a welding shop and worked as a welder on construction projects across two states. He was a licensed funeral director, a firefighter, and an EMT. My dad owned and operated a cultured marble manufacturing business. And somewhere in there, he worked as a fishing guide on the lake that surrounds our community. I’ve probably even missed a few jobs that my dad performed, but you get the picture. In each “occupation,” Daddy tried his best to conduct his business with integrity and humility. My dad was anything but a phony!
Countless homes around our community are adorned to this day with wrought-iron railings, chimney caps, metal stairways and more that my dad made in his welding shop. Dozens of houses feature cultured marble counter tops, showers, whirlpool tubs and more that Daddy created at “The Sink House.”
My dad worked with a lot of “high-end” clients…and many of them were plenty demanding. The “swirl” of this marble piece didn’t track in the preferred direction (you get what you get when you create a piece of marble!), so Daddy would make another. He would struggle and “cipher” and pound away at a piece of steel until he got the metal to look exactly as the client envisioned. The customer was always right…even if the end result was that my dad almost paid THEM to create their “masterpiece!”
My dad was by no means a wealthy man in terms of money and possessions. But on the day of his funeral, the chapel could not hold all who came to pay their respects. He built a reputation for fairness and integrity. His word was his bond. He served in his church - as a Sunday school teacher and on countless committees. He comforted grieving families…and nurtured his own. None of us is perfect…and neither was my dad. But I learned from both of my parents that one of the most valuable assets we have is our integrity.
Life can deal each of us some pretty mean blows – and my parents have not received a “pass” in that department. But their demonstrations of steadfast faith in God in the midst of challenges – and even a few dealings with crooked or dishonest people – have represented the tenets of these scripture verses well. God didn’t promise to make us rich and famous – or to take away all of our problems and challenges. But He did promise to stand beside us and soften the blows.
We are all facing challenges of some sort…maybe not today, but they will come at some point. Difficult and dishonest people will enter our lives…stuck up “know-it-alls” will try to distract us, at best…and sometimes disrupt our course with their rhetoric and antics. But we must remain faithful and focused on God and HIS will. We must operate in His commands through Jesus Christ to “love others as God loves us – and as we love ourselves.”
Ultimately, God will deal with the crooks who lie, cheat and steal – and those who mistreat others along the way. Let’s not be among them! Let’s take the high road and stay focused on serving God according to His will. Our reputation as true Disciples of Christ is at stake. I don’t want to risk any damage to mine…do you?
©2015 Debbie Robus
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