The Right Thing....

I have read surveys where people are asked the question,

"If you knew for certain you could get away with it, would you..." 

and then a list of options is named.  Whether it is stealing, murder, having an affair, or something less drastic, my answer will always be no, because I am not driven by what others think, but rather, by doing what is right.

When my children were young, and I caught them in wrong doing, I would always give them the same advice - it doesn't matter whether anyone else knows about your wrong doing, you know.  Right is right, and wrong is wrong, and it doesn't matter how many people know.  Do the right thing.  It's easier and better for everyone in the long run, especially you, because you will have peace of mind.

I have tried to live my life that way, although I am imperfect, and have certainly failed. But even when no one has ever found out about the failure, I knew, and that was one person too many for me.  Living with the knowledge that you willfully did the wrong thing eats away at the heart and soul, making life less than it should be.  That is why people confess to crimes, even years later.  The knowledge eats away at them until they would rather face the consequences than continue to have that emptiness of spirit that the cover up creates.

In Deuteronomy 6:18 we are told,

Do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight, so that it may go well with you....

I take those words to heart.  It is not always easy.  Whatever the situation, doing the right thing often takes courage and faith that, in the end, right is right, no matter the short term consequences to one's own life.  A person who knows right from wrong, and acts on that knowledge, is a person you can trust and admire because you know they are acting from conviction, and not just because they are afraid to get caught.

Today, I am grateful for those who do the right thing.  The example they set is a beacon of hope in a weary world.

Dear Lord, Thank you for those who set an example of doing the right thing.  Even in hard times, the satisfaction of knowing you have done your best gives peace to the soul.  Amen.