How Much Is Enough to Require Honesty?
This is the first of a handful of guest posts from almost ten years ago. Time flies. This is from my dear cousin (and former college roommate) Olivia Cobian. You can read about her inspiring life HERE . Now on to the post:
Drive-Thru Test
At the Wendy’s drive thru on Friday, they gave us back an extra nickel. Five cents. I hesitated for a moment. Does it really matter? Will anybody care if I return the money that doesn’t belong to me? If it were five dollars, I’d return it. Fifty dollars? Definitely. But five cents? Is it worth going back? We’d gone through the drive-thru to save time…
We parked. I got out of the car and ran back inside the restaurant. I interrupted the cashier, put the nickel on the counter and said, “We got too much change from the drive-thru.” He looked at me like I was crazy. I felt stupid. “Thanks,” I said and left.
Six Little Eyes
I returned to the car – to six little eyes that see everything, that still think I know everything and that count on me to do right. The responsibility for those three little souls is sometimes overwhelming. As we talked about it, I knew the five cents mattered. I knew that I cared whether or not I returned it, and that I cared that my children knew why I returned it. I want them to know that morality isn’t relative. It doesn’t matter how great or small the matter is. What matters is that we’re as honest as we can be.
[clickToTweet tweet=”I returned to the car—to the six little eyes that see everything, that count on me to do right.” quote=”I returned to the car—to the six little eyes that see everything, that count on me to do right.”]
Today I read a quote that helped me realize why I stopped for five cents:
“Honesty is the trait that connects the promises we have made to the Lord to our everyday actions.” -Richard J. Maynes
Because I am a Christian, because I want to emulate Christ, and because I need His help so desperately in my daily life as a mother, I had to return that nickel. Because I want my children to know and honor Him, because I want them to know the peace only He can bring, I had to teach them why a nickel matters.
Beautiful! Thanks for the reminder that what might be thought of as small or insignificant really does hold great value in more ways than its material worth.
So true! Our faith must apply to all parts of our lives, even the little things. That’s what will show our children our sincerity and give power to our example. those little minds and hearts pick up on our inconsistencies!
thank you for the reminder:O)
What a good reminder of the kind of people we should be striving to be. Thank you for sharing!
I think for children, “small” every day events like this make a huge impact.Great post!
Good for you!
It can be funny to see the reaction of folks when they stare pure honesty straight in the face. They just don’t get it.
Oh, dear Hannah, I’m reading a book by Terry Warner and when he talks about being around people who make you your best self, I always think of you. This is Marianne btw. My family doesn’t like to sign out/in.