Morning Devotional

June 12, 2005
"Sincerely"  
    by Don Emmitte

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An honest witness tells the truth; a false witness tells lies. Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing. Truth stands the test of time; lies are soon exposed. Deceit fills hearts that are plotting evil; joy fills hearts that are planning peace! (Proverbs 12:17-20 NLT).

"Sincerely" is a word that we use more often than any other to end our letters, and yet there are very few people who know the derivation and the true meaning of that common word. "Sincere" ("sin-cere") means "without wax." Now you know something probably none of your friends knows. So what does "without wax" mean? Well, in the old days, if something was dented or had a gash in it, or even if it had a hole in it, they used to fill the damaged area with wax, and then they would cover the wax over with a coat of paint and sell the item as though it were undamaged. If we are "sincere," it means we are without wax; we are underneath, as we appear to be on the surface.

Jesus said that we are to be like children. He didn't mean that we are to be childish or immature; he meant that, as adults, we are to be child-like. Young children, before they get older and learn the art of deception and lying, are transparent, without veneer or phoniness. They really are what they appear to be. They are sincere, "without wax," and Jesus is saying that is the way we should be. Certainly that is the impact of the Wisdom of Solomon in our reading this morning.

I remember vividly an experience I had when I was just a young boy. My dad would often take me with him to the farmer’s market where we would purchase produce for the store we had. I remember going by the stand of apples and picking two of them to stuff in my pockets. Don’t ask me how I thought I was going to really hide them in my pockets. When we were getting ready to box the fruits and vegetables to take them to the store, the owner looked at my dad and I and merely asked, “Is there anything else?” Of course he could see the bulge in my pockets, however this was one of those moments when a great lesson was about to be conveyed. I remained quiet and did not admit to having the apples. Then it was more fear than anything else. However, something interesting happened before I walked out. I just knew I couldn’t face my dad with those two apples in my pocket. I couldn’t lie to him. I stopped and went back to the market owner and told him that I had two apples in my pocket. I will never forget his expression. He smiled broadly and said, “I know. I just wanted to see if you’d be honest enough to admit it. If you had walked out, I would have been very disappointed.” Dad and I talked on the way home. He was very proud of me for confessing.

There are three valuable lessons we should recognize about the truth in every situation. The first is that a lie, even a simple one, is never worth the cost. The second is that the longer we let a lie or a wrong doing go unconfessed, the more difficult it becomes to bring ourselves to confess it. And the third is that, contrary to our expectations, people actually think more of us when we confess a lie or a wrong doing, not less, because they can see that, while we are human, at our core we are honest and sincere -- without wax.