Madoff

I just finished watching the ABC mini-series about Bernie Madoff.  In case you forgot, he is the guy who swindled his investors out of billions.  That is not a misprint.  Not millions but 50 billion dollars.

If everything in the movie is accurate, this man spent his entire life lying to people.  Misleading them, manipulating them and pretending.  All the time that he is doing this, he is showing them a smiling face and encouraging them to trust him.  In the end, he lost everything- his job, his friends, his kids, his wife, his reputation and his freedom.

I believe that in some form, lying and cheating always has the same result.  Even in small doses, such behavior destroys everything that life is about.  Dishonest, disingenuous behavior always leaves us trying to cover our tracks.  One lie leads to another.  Defensive behavior can become the norm for a person.  Besides hurting our relationships with people, such behavior brings either a callous arrogance to a persons heart or a deep sense of inner sadness, or both.

Why not just make the right decisions?  Why not just tell the truth?  Work hard to do the right things, and anytime that you miss it, apologize, fix it and get it right.  It is much easier to sleep at night when we are seeking to live with a clean heart.

Psalm 1 says that the righteous are like a tree that is planted by the streams of water.  Imagine being such a tree!  Your roots go down deep into the source of life.  Your life is healthy, you bear fruit, and you provide shade to all weary travelers.  Such is the benefit of doing the right thing.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.