Honesty Remembered
A friend stopped by this week to tell an
interesting and true story. He had just been to the hardware store and
had an inspiring encounter.
As he was being helped by one of the workers, the worker said, “Do you
remember me?”
My friend replied, “No, I’m sorry, I don’t think I do.”
The man said, “Well, about twenty years ago, I worked
at Furrow and you came in to pay for a tube of caulk that was not on
your receipt. As you explained why you went to all that trouble to come
back in and pay for it you said, ‘Well, I don’t want to go to hell for a
two-dollar tube of caulking.’ I still remember that.”
My friend was impressed with the memory of the worker, but most
importantly, the influence that a simple remark can have upon
others—even twenty years removed.
The smallest of deeds can have an impact. It may be a simple “thank you”
to the kid who bags our groceries, a smile and a kind “hello” to one who
passes by on the street or the simple honesty to pay for a tube of caulk
the scanner missed. Yet, be assured, these simple deeds plant seeds in
the hearts of the honest (Matthew 13:23).
As the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world”
the beauty of Christ and the glory of God must be reflected through
Christians always (Matthew 5:14-16).
Our “good works” do not have to be so great that they make the newspaper
headlines. We do not have to do something so grandiose that they name a
building after us. To please God, our good works just need to be the
kind that draw men closer to the goodness of God and His children.
Colossians 3:17 says, “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in
the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through
Him.”
We never know what will make others thank God and notice the Lord’s
authority in our lives. It may be a word, a deed or paying for a tube of
caulk.
Think about it.
November 2005