Last week in class we talked about obedience in regards to leadership. Our assignment was to tell of a couple times when we had to choose between telling the truth and facing the consequences or lying and trying to cover up our guilt and what the consequences or benefits were to being honest or lying. So I started to try to come up with some thoughts about times in my life, but I was having a hard time coming up with a good example of a time I've been caught in a lie. So being the brave gutsy man that I am, I decided to just skip this assignment (kind of ironic, skipping the assignment on obedience). So I went home for the weekend and had a good time with my family and friends and came back Monday night. And then today in class we talked about core values. We took an assessment that helped us find our values, and then for an assignment we had to take those 3-5 core values and from them come up with a life principle and an application.
My last core value that I came up with is dependability or trustworthiness in me as a person, employee, and I suppose as a student too. So I said the life principle from dependability would be "I will strive to complete any task assigned to me to it's full completion and to do it excellently as working for the Lord." So I'm writing this principle, and I get to thinking, "Hmmmm, what about last week's assignment?" So I decided as an easy application to put down, "Turn in all assignments". So this is me telling the truth about last week's assignment, and I really don't know what any of the consequences or benefits are going to be from telling this story and putting it on facebook.
So I already told you a truth story, but I have another good one, so I'll tell you it too.
Last fall I was driving along one of camp's wonderfully kept straight wide pathed roads when all of a sudden I hit a tree with one of camp's wonderfully taken care of trucks (I won't go into why I hit the tree or where the tree is because frankly it's not pertinent to the story and you don't need to know!). So, adrenaline pumping through my system, I slowly backed up from the tree and drove the truck to the FLC. I am feeling quite sick at the moment (literally almost nauseous), but I knew that I had to tell somebody. So I went into the FLC to talk to my good friend, Jonathon Faust. I told him what happened, and he told me that I should probably talk to somebody higher up the totem pole than him. So I started to leave, but before I got too far I saw my boss, Brett Wiuff (that's pronounced wiff everybody!) coming over. So I started to tell him what happened, and he said that I should pull up to the maintenance shed and tell Jordan (the head maintenance dude) what had happened. So I drove up to the shed, but I couldn't find Jordan. So I called Brett, and he said to just make sure I told Jordan what happened before lunch. Well lunch rolls around and I still haven't found Jordan, so I head to the lodge because that's where Jordan is everyday that he's working, right at noon, for lunch. He's one thing you can depend on at camp (just like our trucks!). So I told him what had happened and why I had hit the tree (no, you still don't get to know) and everybody laughed at me (because the why is a really stupid why). Anyway, nothing really ever came of it. The front of the truck is still smashed in, but Jordan made a new bumper for it. A few months after this all happened though, Brett one day made a little comment that made me sit back and think for a little bit. He said, "You know, if you had tried to lie about the truck in stead of owning up to it like you did, you probably would have been fired." That made me really glad that I took responsibility for me mistake!
I'm sure that there are plenty of examples of me lying to keep from getting trouble, but I can only think of one at the moment. It wasn't a lie about anything huge. I was just trying to save face when in fact it turned out that I really didn't have to.
My father is huge into running, and I mean HUGE! So he likes it when his children share in his hobby of running, and one day my dad told me to run to the high school and back. It's only a mile there and a mile back, but I was only 10 or 12 at the time, and not in very good shape. So I was running along and getting tired, but I wasn't to the high school yet. However I was really tired, so I decided to turn around earlier than I thought I had been told to. So I ran home, and my dad comes over and asks, "Did you make it all the way?" And me not wanting to get in trouble for not running the whole distance and having to face Dad upset for not following his instructions said, "Yup, all the way around the high school and back." And then Dad said, "The high school? You only have to run to the middle school to go 2 miles. Wow, you did good, Chipper!" And me, enjoying Daddy's praise and not wanting to explain anything didn't say a thing to correct him, but it turned out that since I had turned around at the middle school I really had run the full 2 miles. I don't think I ever corrected this lie, maybe it came up in passing one time, but I'm sure Dad doesn't remember the incident. So, Mom, since you're reading this would you be willing to get Dad and show him this? I'm sorry that I lied to you Dad. I should have had more faith in your love for me and realized that it extends farther than the distance I run! You will be proud of me to know that I actually did go running tonight!!!!
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