I hold a worthy albeit poorly compensated position in the workforce. I am not complaining, as it pays for all of my needs and most of my wants. I am comparing. I know myriads of people who exhibit all of the signs of opulence without any of the virtues consistent with the law of the harvest. I sometimes run up against these people in competition because they’re part of the GOBNet or because they occupy positions of authority over me. When I do, I remind myself when I remember to do so that most of what I see is a play. Several prominent members of my Faith locally live significantly opulent lives. My sister attended a soiree this weekend at the weekend cabin of one of these men who owns an ultralight, several ATVs, a snowmobile, ad infinitum. I find him a rather dull man, but his wife looks ageless and his company and children are in high demand. I guess I know how they spend their money. Ironically, he is impressed by me.
Many of your neighbors only appear to be well to do. Some of them are swimming in debt. We have all heard of those who are house poor, who spend so much on their address that they cannot furnish it. I know a young fellow who years ago at the age of 20 started a largely successful internet business. He frittered away his earnings in riotous living and bought a Ferrari and became the zenith of entertainment most weekends. About two years ago, his wealth flow dried up, and now Troy and I are the only ones of his old friends who still speak with him. He’s drowning in debt, and his “friends” are not there to help him. When people surround themselves with the best of things, sometimes they do so only for the sake of appearances or to compensate for some other deficit. If the deficit becomes financial, often they find out that the only reason people like them is for their riches. Wealth is such a fickle master.
Others of your neighbors arrived at their success rate by unscrupulous means. My mother once worked for a woman who looked for every opportunity to write off personal expenses in her business. They would arrange for boating trips with employees and write off the boat on their taxes. They wrote off space in their home for the business even if only one box happened to periodically find itself occupying some small footprint on the floor. I drive behind cars all the time advertising Scentsy or Mary Kay or whatever, and I’m sure these people do better writing off the car than they do actually selling wares, but some people will do whatever it takes. I wonder at all the people on craigslist who beg for free things so that they can personally profit from them like a woman I met in Vienna who took credit for the charity of others. I wager she also sold some of those things and pocketed the cash as well. The lines are blurry with businesses, and the “rich” are always able somehow to hide money from taxation like the Clintons who donate all their money to themselves. Clever.
Being dishonest with yourself is the worst offense you can give. God is not fooled by any of the chicanery. Ultimately what really matters is that you live your life well. Just two miles from my house is the Temple of my Faith. In order to get into that edifice, you must answer questions, among which you are asked whether you are honest with your fellow men. However suavely you deceive your bishop or other priesthood authority, God isn’t fooled when dishonest people walk into His house. Since nobody bursts into flame at the recommend desk, the halls are filled with people who portend and pretend to virtues they actually lack. Some of those people are earnestly striving, and some of them are simply conniving. The real trouble is that you can only lie to yourself so long before you destroy everything.
I am fairsure that hell varies widely from the depictions and expectations common to the canons of Christianity. When you stand before the God of Truth and all of your pretense and deception melt away, you will be left only with truth. In that day, if the life you built predicates itself on sandy and insecure foundations of deception and diversion, I imagine that will be hellish. Realizing that your entire life is a lie, a waste, a fake, a fraud, well, I cannot imagine any worse hell than that. I know the misery of coming to the end of anything in life- a job, a relationship, a story, etc., only to discover that everything I believed to be true was a lie. You have wasted and worn out your life and obtained nothing in return.
I may not have the same things to show for my life as others. I have a modest house, a modest car, a modest income, and a modest expectation of my future fortunes. I know that people like to latch themselves to the “successful” hoping to get free crumbs from the patron’s table. I’m sorry I can’t afford a Ferrari, but that doesn’t mean I can’t get you where you want to go. In fact, I am constantly amused by the fact that most of the cars on the road with blown out tires are expensive cars driven by wealthy people. I guess they just don’t know how to take care of the things they buy.
All around us, some of the least scrupled cry the loudest for care and compassion. While they look for every opportunity to fleece their neighbors for a free lunch, they will talk about how we need to do more to help others. When we do not deal honestly with other people, we in essence betray them. When we do not deal honestly with ourselves, we in essence hate ourselves. How can you possibly love your neighbor as yourself if you do not do right by yourself? How can you possibly care about the children of strangers if you are not taking care of your own first? When I was a young boy, we used to sing in Sunday School a song that taught me, “Honesty must start with me in ALL I say, in ALL I do” (emphasis added).
At the judgment bar, the shows vanish and the din of crowds grows quiet to give room for truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. It is one of the commandments not to bear false witness against our neighbors, but we lie and cheat and steal from them constantly. Are you honest in your dealings with your fellow men? Do you work when you should be at work? Do you report your earnings fairly? Do you give God His tithe? Well, He knows, and so if you have reaped things that are not what you have sown, it would not be honest eternally to let you keep them. So enjoy them while you can. Enjoy them if you earned them. Content yourself with an honest “C” over an “A” gained by fraud. Your honest best will be good enough.
No comments:
Post a Comment