Each Sunday afternoon, my family meets in our living room to discuss what we learned from the sermon we heard earlier in the day. One Sunday, our pastor preached on the Ten Commandments and stealing. That afternoon, my family’s discussion got quite interesting. My 14-year-old said that stealing could include working too much and not allowing enough time for the family. He went on to say that stolen objects can be replaced, but time cannot.
The following week, my family watched the nightly news together, and the subject of lying became the topic. My son asked how two different stations could have such dissimilar accounts of the same events. I tried to explain that maybe it’s just a difference of perspective, to which he responded, “Maybe someone is outright lying, Dad!”
We have become so accustomed to accepting phony advertising, exaggerated news stories, and false statements that no one knows what to believe. Even the weather station was busted last year when a reporter pretended he could hardly stand due to “strong storm winds.” It was a very believable performance until someone walked across the parking lot behind him.
Maybe it’s your fish story, or the tale about how great you were 50 years ago on the football field. Either way, my son is right — it’s lying. The Bible warns about bearing false witness, yet society has become very accepting of it.
Recently, my church’s pastor discussed the 10th Commandment, which warns against coveting. This warning literally involves anything that belongs to your neighbor. Clearly, the creators of radio commercials don’t subscribe to this teaching. It seems that every other commercial begins with, “Get the ______ that you deserve!”
A few years ago, my family traveled to India to attend a wedding. On this trip, we witnessed poverty like we’d never seen before. Shocking numbers of children roamed the streets in search of scraps of food. While in our cab, we saw homes made of cardboard boxes, and sidewalk vendors that would surely fail a state health department inspection if they were in the U.S.
After arriving safely to our hotel, we discussed how challenging it must be to experience such dire conditions. My daughter said, “They are so poor, yet they seem so content!” Her profound statement still resonates with me to this day.
It’s interesting that in our rich country, the one thing that seems to elude most people is contentment.
to your business!