"From My Heart to Yours..."
© William Eudy, Preaching Minister
All Rights Reserved World Wide
03/27/2011
How Well Do You Sleep At Night?
I read a story last week about Linda Russell. It seems that she put off a required history
course until her senior year at the University of Oregon. She took a grade of
“incomplete” in order to avoid taking the final exam. In the spring semester, it got to the
point that she could put it off no longer. She said, “I was right on the wire for graduation. I
knew I had to take the exam, and by then I had lost the continuity. I felt in my heart I couldn’t do it. ”To her surprise, her professor simply
handed her the exam and told her to go somewhere and finish it. She went into the
women’s lounge, pulled out her notes, and took the exam. She passed with flying colors
and received her degree. The year was 1962. Ms. Russell went on to earn her Master’s
Degree. She had a career as an elementary school teacher that lasted 34 years. However,
the guilt of cheating on that history exam gnawed at her. She said, “In the back of
my mind, I always thought, ‘If you only knew.’”
Conscience is a God-given gift. It’s an internal monitor of behavior. Sometimes, it’s a
flashing red light reminding us to take corrective action. At other times, it’s a spiritual compass
that assures us that we are navigating safely within God’s will—that is, if we have a
knowledge of His will that comes from His Word. You see, conscience is a product of education
and not infallible by itself. But it is a valuable part of one’s spiritual life that can’t be
ignored.
Ms. Russell said, “I realized that one day I would have to stand before God and account
for my life.” Living in Washington state, and retired, she finally quit fighting her conscience
and wrote a letter to her alma mater. The university said that it would be too harsh
of a punishment to revoke her degree. Instead, they allowed her to write an article for the
student newspaper about academic integrity—focusing on the corrosive effect of dishonesty.
She said, “Once you cheat, then you have to cover it with a lie. In that process, you
deceive all the people into thinking you are someone that you are not.” She bore an awful
burden all those years. As you begin this week, live it with such an integrity that God
would not question your heart. And if there is anything you need to make right, today is
the day to do it—not 34 guilt-ridden years from now.
Consider the words of Proverbs:
The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity
(Proverbs 11:3).
Better a poor man whose walk is blameless than a fool whose lips are perverse (Proverbs
19:1).
The righteous man leads a blameless life; blessed are his children after him (Proverbs
20:7).
Have I told you lately that I love you?
William
