Flying Honestly!

Flying Honestly!
By Michael Galloway

It is definitely a traveling season! I would daresay that most Americans in the past month have probably flown, or driven somewhere to visit family, to vacation, or to visit friends. What would you have done had you found $10,000 dollars of cash in two envelopes in an airport? Would you have thought that there was no way to find the real owners of this money? That it was finder's keepers? Or maybe you would have even thought I will try to return the money. What if the airport had told you it was against the rules to take down the details of what you had found. I would guess that most of us would have stopped there and been content to say that we had tried to do what was right, and then kept the money for ourselves. Mitch Gilbert of Colorado didn't stop there. When he found two envelopes that contained ten thousand dollars in cash at McCarren International Airport in Las Vegas he decided that he was going to show his kids what the right thing to do was. When the airport told him that it was against the rules to take down the details he kept calling and asking if anyone had reported the two envelopes missing. Finally a man from El Paso, TX reported the money missing and Gilbert returned the money to him. 

What an example Gilbert was not only to his kids but also to the world. He showed us the importance of going the extra mile in being honest. The Bible teaches the principle of integrity. 2 Corinthians 8:21 tells us "For we aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord's sight but also in the sight of men." The Bible goes on and tells us in Luke 6:31, "And as you wish that others would do to you, do also to them."

It is hard to know how we would react in a situation such as Gilbert found himself in until we are there. I would hope that each and everyone of us would have the courage and insight that Gilbert had to do what was right not only to be an example to others but in order to please God. Let us all use his actions as encouragement and inspiration as we go throughout this next week and year.