In October 2006, Bishop Richard C. Edgley gave a talk entitled Three Towles and a 25-cent Newspaper. In this talk, he shares a personal example of coming home after working at the Jackson Lake Lodge.
Upon pulling in his driveway his dad came out to hug him. While hugging him his dad looked in the back of his Bishop Edgley’s car. In the back lay three towels embroidered with the hotel’s logo. His dad said, “I expected more of you.”
The following weekend Bishop Edgley made the 370-mile round trip back to the Jackson Lake Lodge to return the towels.
When people are dishonest it is due to pride. Pride cometh before the fall. When we indulge in our pride it is easy to be dishonest. I theorize every sin that is committed can be traced back to being prideful.
Pride is very hard for people to overcome. Especially in today’s modern world where anything you do can be shared with the entire world in a matter of seconds. We have this image of ourselves that we want other people to see so when we are dishonest we believe we are protecting that image. However, this is not true.
When we are dishonest we destroy not only ourselves in the eyes of others, but ourselves in our own eyes. It is very hard to be honest all the time, and it will lead to some awkward situations.
One of my friends in high school decided he wanted to serve a mission his senior year. However, he was very dishonest during his junior and sophomore years of high school. He had stolen chapstick and packs of gum from grocery stores and gas stations.
His bishop challenged him to make amends with these stores. He had to learn to let go of his pride and pay the gas stations and grocery stores for the products he had stolen. Like Bishop Edgley, my friend had to make a 370-mile round trip to repent and regain his integrity.