Perhaps you know the story of Abe Lincoln, who as a young man working in a country store, discovered he had collected more payment from a customer than was due for a purchase she had made – an amount equivalent to only a few cents in today’s currency.  Upon discovering the error, Abe immediately closed the store and walked several miles to the woman’s home to give her the minuscule refund she was due, much to the utter amazement of the woman who did not know she had overpaid.

Was Abe Lincoln a fool for going to such great lengths for such a pittance?  Some today would argue he was.  It is, after all, not the cultural norm of our world.  Yet, in spite of his political enemies, it would have been hard to find anyone to suggest that Abe Lincoln was anything less than an honest man.  That is, in fact, the reputation that has been branded with his name — the legacy of his life.  His character was tested and found worthy of praise.

Such testing is constantly in play for us as well.  How do we measure up?  How would our character withstand the test of the crucible if we asked our adult children and grandchildren that question?  Would honesty come to the surface?  In a world that values doing anything to win, wouldn’t it be refreshing to celebrate the goodness of those who, like Honest Abe, leave a different fragrance in our world?

GRANDPAUSE: “Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.” – Thomas Jefferson