Grandchildren, Practice and Expect Honesty

With My VERY Best Friend on Earth

"HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY"
When I was in early elementary school a little over sixty years ago, I had a couple of teachers who used to say that often, especially when it appeared that someone in the class was lying about something.

God has a lot to say about honesty, too. Here from Psalm 24 is a great encouragement to live an honest and upright life: "Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who ...may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior."

Jesus said, "I am the . . . TRUTH." And we are told in the Bible that God wants to make us in the image of His Son. He wants us to be more and more like Jesus -- and one of the ways others can see that is when we cherish the truth and live honestly.

Grandchildren, be careful who you pick for your very best friends and companions. Just remember that if a person lies FOR you, they will as readily lie TO you or ABOUT you. Dishonesty is a poor foundation for friendship, business relationships, marriage, or any kind of partnership that you can imagine. Think how hard it would be to do a science project with a lab partner who cannot be trusted with the data! Think of how difficult it would be to have a liar manage your sports team. Imagine being married and having a liar helping to raise your children!

Consider this seriously. It is not a little thing. YOU cannot solve this kind of problem in another person. Only a person who submits to God and the authority of the Bible can be changed from a liar to a truth bearer. Please don't forget that.

** This picture of your grandfather and me was taken at a family reunion in 2011.  In August of 2012, we hope to celebrate our 49th wedding anniversary. And we will unless Jesus takes one or both of us to Heaven before then. Sometimes people say, "how did you stay together this long?" And I think that is an honest question because many people give up on their marriages -- sometimes they have to leave because of abuse or danger or unfaithfulness. But many times, they leave because they are just tired of the responsibility or they claim they don't love each other anymore. And I think it is honest, because about 1/2 of people getting married are divorcing each other. That is very sad, indeed.

1. The first reason that we have enjoyed many years together is because of Jesus. He is our Lord and Savior and He helps us to keep our promises to each other and to the Lord.  2. The second reason we have enjoyed a long marriage is because we trust each other. Sure, we get mad at each other sometimes. But I can tell you one thing that has never been a problem to me: your grandfather has never lied to me. He has never cheated on me. He always wants the best for me -- and I am not talking about expensive things. I am talking about a life of peace and love. And I am talking about a life of TRUST.

I will tell you one thing for sure because I have seen it many times in the lives of other people, especially people who are planning to be married. They really can see character flaws in each other -- things like lying, rebellion, cheating, stealing. And you know what they do? They tell themselves that they will be able to help that person and they will change after marriage. But that is rare. Someone who wants to marry you will behave WAY better when you are dating than after you are married. Many, many times people have said to us, "He [or she] never behaved that way before, but shortly after we were married, this or that began to happen."

If you see the "red flags" or something just doesn't seem to be right characterwise pay attention! If they laugh at things that are not funny, they might be cruel after marriage. If they are untruthful to you or your parents now, it will only get worse. Don't make decisions with just your heart! Your HEAD is more important than you think.