Recently, my precious, creative little girl thought that the Curious George book we had checked out from the local library could use a little more red... well, actually, alot more red. So, she got through about 4-5 pages or so with her red crayon before I caught her- red-handed, you might say.
In the past, we have checked out books on more than one occasion that had been colored in, and I decided I was not going to be that person. I found a brand new version of the same book online for around $5 and purchased it. I walked into the local library branch where we had checked out the book, explained our situation, apologized and handed them both books. Well, it turns out there is a new "no exchange for damaged materials" policy, and I would have to pay to replace the book, plus a processing fee. I explained my heart to the clerk, told her I was a stay at home mom on a budget, and $22 plus the $5 I had already spent was alot for me. She recommended I contact the main branch as there was nothing she could do.
After being transferred 3 times, telling my story each time, a woman finally said she would look into what they could do for me and call me back. She later left a message saying they would do nothing, and said I should work out payments with the local branch. Shock. They all seemed so nice and understanding on the phone. It's times like this where being honest and doing the right thing is tough. I probably could have dropped off the book and pretended it never happened (obviously, they don't check the pages of the books upon return), but I refused to even view that as an option. What kind of example would that be for my kids, and most importantly, what would the Lord say of me? (The message in Luke 16:10 resounded on my heart.)
As I drove to the library, I prayed, and I thought to myself how it just stinks that there was no grace to make an even exchange, and how they were putting honest people in a tough place. I just wanted to get it over with quickly, like ripping off a band-aid, go home, and let it be. Well, after all that, the woman I returned the book to, with money in hand, told me not to worry about it, it happens all the time, and she did not think it was fair to charge me that much money. After I asked several times if she was sure this was okay, Selah apologized to her for coloring in the book, and we walked out thanking the Lord for hearing and answering our prayer.
Would they have noticed if I had simply dropped the book in the return slot as if nothing happened? Probably not. Would my 2 year old and 1 year old daughters have known that Mommy made a dishonest choice? Again, probably not. But I would have known, and more importantly, God would see that blemish on my character. I am far from perfect, but I do desire to walk blamelessly before the Lord and as an example to my kids and be faithful and honest in both the little and big things.
Doing right in even the smallest things and maintaining the utmost integrity is an example I believe we all hope to set for our kids and a character trait we pray we model for and teach to them. So, even when it's tough, when we are greeted with injustice, and even in the smallest detail, let's pray we will maintain the utmost integrity, display our faithfulness to God, and set a standard for our kids.
Lord, I pray today for Your Holy Spirit to guide me in every area of my life. May my character be defined by the utmost integrity, and may dishonesty never be an option. I pray my children will see me as a role model in this area and grow in integrity and honesty as well. Please give me strength and perseverance to do right according to Your Word and Way even when I am wronged and treated unjustly and help me teach my children to do the same. Please be our Redeemer, Defender, and Justice. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.
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