A Mission of Honesty

For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man. 2 Corinthians 8:21 (NIV)

When I was teaching there were times (too numerous to count) when students of all ages would come to me and ask, “What should I do?” My answer was always the same. “Just do the next right thing.” They had to determine what was right and it made them think. Pat Butler Dyson (Mornings with Jesus) tells us about a woman on a mission and her only desire was to do the next right thing.

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When I walked into CVS, a petite older woman, wearing a threadbare blue dress and flip-flops, approached me. “Did you lose this?” she asked me, holding up a five-dollar bill.

I shook my head.

“Well, I need to find the owner and return it.”

Cynically, I figured anybody could tell this woman they’d lost the five dollars and she’d be none the wiser. It looked to me as though she could have used that money on herself, but Jesus must have prompted her in her quest.

While I was in the drugstore, I noticed her approaching customers, asking if they’d lost the bill. To the credit of my fellow shoppers, no one claimed the money.

As I was leaving the woman brushed past me, clutching the bill. “Checking the parking lot now,” she murmured. When I left, she was still making her rounds, despite the cold drizzle. I’ll never know if the woman found the person who’d lost the money, but the fact that she was so persistent about finding the rightful owner must have pleased Jesus. I hoped that after all her efforts, no one claimed the money and she would keep it. It looked to me as though she could have used a burger. But that was my wish. I think the woman’s greatest desire was to please Jesus with her honesty.

Diogenes, the Greek philosopher who conducted a fruitless search for an honest man, could have found that (wo)man in the CVS on College Street in Beaumont.

FAITH STEP: Make a list of three recent times when you have witnessed someone being honest.

God Blesses Those Who Are Honest

Loving Lord, thank You for being honest with us. You are incapable of lying—but unfortunately, we are not. Forgive us when we speak untruths. AMEN.