My local paper reported that a Cajun bayou woman put her unworn sports jacket in a garage sale and it sold for four dollars. The buyer, after wearing it many times, discovered a $100 bill in the pocket. She got the owner’s telephone number; they met for lunch; and she returned the bill. Though the original owner protested, “I did not know where the money came from. I have never worn the jacket and did not put the bill in the pocket” the buyer insisted she keep the money. The stunned recipient said of the honest woman, “She gave it back and acted as if it’s something anyone would do. Maybe I’ll never spend it. Maybe I’ll just frame it. It’s a story I think everyone should hear.”

God’s graciousness has been spilling over into people’s lives since time began. His graciousness we can see when we “lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty” (1 Timothy 2:2). The woman who returned the $100 bill received a sense of peace with herself that will speak in her behalf forever. Actions do speak louder than words. It pays to be honest.