Doing the Right Thing

It would be easy enough just to put the cash in my pocket and walk away. 

That's what I thought to myself.

It happened a couple of weeks ago when we took our kids to Brenham to play at the park.  Afterward, we headed to Arby's for lunch.  After eating, I headed to the restroom.

When I walked out, a crumpled bill sat on the floor next to the line entrance.  I stooped and picked it up thinking someone had lost a buck.  But the bill was larger than just a buck.  In fact, it was $10.  For a few seconds, I considered it a minor windfall.

But, I knew I couldn't just take the money and run.  There is something within me that prevents me from taking advantage of such situations.  I would find out if the money had been lost first, and I wasn't going to do it the easy way.  I wasn't going to go to the manager of the store and make it his problem. 

I found the cash.

It was my problem.

So, I began to take a tour of the restaurant.

I approached a couple of men sitting and eating together.

"Gentlemen, did either of you drop a ten dollar bill?"

The answer was negative.  Perhaps I was reading too much into their faces, but they looked surprised that I asked.

I moved to a couple of ladies sitting together and asked the same question.  I received the same answer.

There was a high school soccer tournament being held in Brenham that day.  We knew this because we arrived as one team was finishing up to leave, and shortly thereafter another team walked in.

It was to this group of high school guys I approached next.

"Gentlemen," I raised my voice just a tad so that they could hear.  "Did any of you drop a ten dollar bill?"

Many started shaking their heads "No."

Except for one.

He wore baggy warm ups over his uniform, and he dug into his pockets.

He pulled out a few dollars in cash, and he looked at me with that deer in the headlights look.  I guess he thought that even if he said yes, I wouldn't believe him.

But he answered me in the affirmative. 

I handed him the $10 and walked away.

He thanked me, and I responded, "No problem."

But an unspoken part of me responded, "There goes my windfall."

It's so much easier to be selfish and not do the right thing.  It would have been financially beneficial, but at what other cost?  Could I be a person of integrity if I hadn't have tried to find that bill's owner?  Could I stand in front of my congregation on Sundays and tell them to be different as they follow Jesus if I was unwilling to do so myself?

Hardly.

$10 is a small price to pay for one's integrity and doing the right thing.  Perhaps we may not get too many material rewards for doing such things, but I think our Heavenly Father smiles when we do.  And isn't that more important?

Incidentally, we did some shopping at Wal-Mart and filled up with gas on the way home.  I stuck my credit card in as I usually do.  The darn machine didn't go through the routine of asking me credit or debit.  Neither did it ask me for my zip code, which they usually do now.  I thought nothing of it.  It told me to select my fuel, which I did.  I proceeded to pump $60 worth of gas into my Yukon XL.  I hung up the pump and waited for the machine to aske me whether or not I wanted a receipt.  It didn't.  The charge still hasn't shown up on my credit card. 

I hope the person who was in line before me isn't shocked when he/she gets his/her next bill.  I hope he/she was trying to do a good deed.

Repayment for my own good deed?  A gift from God?

I won't go so far as to say that, but I will go so far to say good things will happen when you strive to do the right things.  I hope the person who left that gas machine ready to go planned on that.