You Can Be Honest
"We believe in you because we know you can be honest. Recently, a local
television channel ran the story of a 10-year-old boy named Josh Bowers
from West Jordan, Utah. He found a wallet that had $530 in it. Josh didn't
hesitate. He picked it up and
took it to his mother. The wallet belonged to a mother of four, and
the $530 was rent money she couldn't live without.
Josh had some compelling reasons to keep the money. His father had recently
been disabled on the job, so his family is living on Social Security. Then
there were all the things Josh could have bought with the money. What he
really wanted, as he said, was a new bike. But he knew the money was not
his and that someone needed that money. The relieved young mother gave
Josh $40 for returning the wallet and the money. Josh planned to use some
of the money to get his old bike tire fixed. But a
viewer, on hearing the story, had Josh pick out a brand-new bike "to
reward him for being an honest guy." Interestingly, the donor of the bike
wanted to remain anonymous, but he said: "Josh set an example that everybody
should follow, and he looks happy" ("Honest Boy Returns Lost Wallet and
Money," KUTV, 8 and 10 September 1998, 10:00 p.m.).
We may not all get a shiny new bicycle as a reward for our honesty,
but a feeling of goodness will shine within us for doing
what we know is honest and true. Ultimately, we will receive an eternal
reward.
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