|
HELEN SANDERS
2-25-2022
DOING THE RIGHT THING
As a child I was taught some very important character traits by my mother. First to not lie. Then to not steal. She also took me to church every Sunday. She did the right thing by me.
Because of these things I always have had a strong belief that no matter how small a thing is, it is not right to take it if it does not belong to you. I carried this over into my life and adulthood and taught it to my children.
One story will always stick with me. There was a small store one block from where I lived. It was called the “Park Store” because it was situated next to the city park. The building it was in had been built up to meet the sidewalk in the front, but it had a sandy deep ditch behind it. The building supported by pillars, and between the pillars was sand. Kids would often go there to play.
One day when I was only six or seven, I was there, and a boy came from the front of the building around to the back. He had some candy that had come from the store and admitted that he had stolen it. I told him that it was wrong and made him take it back.
You see my friends what we are taught as children is ingrained into us. I knew stealing was wrong and what this boy did was wrong. Perhaps he had not been taught, because I personally have seen families from adults to children that are all thieves. They learned it from their parents.
In Proverbs 22: 1 it says, “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches…” You get a good name by doing what is right. Even if no one sees that you have done right, God sees what you have done. Likewise, if you steal, even if it is a penny, God sees that too.
Jesus compared a thief to the devil in John 10:10 where it says, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy…” then In I Corinthians 6:10 it says thieves shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
You may steal in many different ways. You may steal from God by not paying your tithes. (Malachi 3:8.) You may steal from your employer by being on your phone when you should be working. You may steal little or steal big, but with God it is still stealing.
My mother was absolutely right when she said, “If it isn’t yours don’t take it.”
Missed some of Helen's messages? click here to read
| 
