I'll always remember the day when as a child I found two coins on the school playground. I brought them home, thinking they wouldn't be missed. But Mother made me take them to my teacher. "They belong to someone else," Mother told me. Since then, God has often reminded me of this early lesson in honesty.

For example, as I was putting bags of groceries in my car, I discovered at the bottom of the cart a greeting card I hadn't paid for. I immediately went back into the store, waited in line, apologized to the cashier, and paid for the card. A man behind me, looking dumbfounded, challenged me, "It's only a greeting card! Who would have known? Weren't you a bit silly to come back?"

For a split second I did feel silly. But then I thought of something to say. "Should you ever lose your wallet," I replied smiling, "I think you'll hope that somebody silly like me finds it!"

Proverbs 11 reminds us that the Lord delights in honesty (v.1) and blesses those who do what is right (v.6). So even though we may give up what seems like some easy money, we gain God's approval. That's worth far more than all the riches in the world. Honesty really does pay!  —Joanie Yoder  — Joanie Yoder