At a young age, we learn right from wrong. And then, we go off to school and make friends. Those friends will sometimes temp you to break the rules or bully someone less fortunate than yourself. Though these activities may seem humorous in the moment, most of us feel a sense of remorse later. Making someone cry often times hurts you MORE than the person you hurt.
Going with the flow may be nice, but when it starts to clash with your values, you should consider being the individual. You must remember that you can't control what others are doing, only what you are doing. Standing up for what is right effectively displays your own self confidence and will gain you respect for yourself and from others. Followers don't usually become leaders. Lead from the start and it will become a habit!
It takes less time to do things right than to explain why you did it wrong.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow~
Doing the right should be something you practice diligently. In public, you should be on your best behavior. With friends, stand up for what's right. And when you are all alone the true tests will arise. It is easy to sneak or steal or lie when you know you won't be caught. You may even get something out of the deal. What if you were to steal that accessory you've been dying to have, but can't afford? Sure, you now have that necklace, but what good will it do you if you didn't earn it? It will start a perpetual series of questions that you can't tell the truth about. You have now opened up a lying can of worms that can't be shut.
OK, so here's a test. Tell yourself that milk is silver. Believe it? Tell yourself again. How about now...convinced? Hopefully not. You can do the right thing in front of others and feel good about it. But there are only two judges of what we do behind closed doors. God and you! I can promise you one thing. God won't believe your lies and neither will you. Trying to justify bad behavior to yourself will only make you feel badly about yourself. There is no winning involved.
Be a role model. People are not defined by our color or clothes or skills, our actions define us. The people who are happy and successful in life generally work hard and follow the rules. There are always exceptions to that rule, but I bet they struggle to look in the mirror each day. People like to feel good. People like to be inspired and complimented. A good role model does all those things.
This lesson was easy to come by today. Fox 5 News Atlanta covered a story which brought me to tears. Not sad tears like much of the new today, but heartfelt tears of joy and hope. Pat Smith is a Dad who's living "do the right thing". He gave his children the lesson of a lifetime in lieu of a $50,000 prize. He was quoted saying, "The next day we felt so badly, I called into the organizers, we told them that Nate made the shot. We did the right thing". Read about Nate and Nick and their Dad here....it's a story very worth repeating. This story reminded me instantly about what Pastor Franklin taught me years ago. Doing the right thing is definitely not always the easy thing!!!
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