It’s been a little long since our last post, and I’m challenged this morning about writing more frequently. In part, the challenge comes from a passage I read this morning:
Wealth created by a lying tongue is a vanishing mist and a deadly trap. Proverbs 21:6 (NLT)
This passionately stirred me up today.
In business, we as believers have a standard to uphold that goes beyond what others may adhere to. Why? Because we believe that our covenant-keeping God honors those who demonstrate their faith in Him by following His principles.
For example, there is no excuse for deceptive sales practices. This includes blatant lies and partial truths, the latter of which we tend to excuse at times – particularly if we can’t think of a reason why anyone would be hurt by it.
But sometimes we’re not being deceptive when we make commitments. Sometimes we intend to fulfill them, and then we allow circumstances to change in such a way that our words become untrue. Sometimes, circumstances change beyond our control, but at other times, we have the ability to affect the outcomes. How do we handle this as believers?
If we say one thing and something else turns out to be true… do we have the integrity to make it right?
If not, then it’s ultimately no different than having the lying tongue that Solomon was talking about in today’s reading (above). And it doesn’t just happen in sales. Sometimes our marketing efforts are not accurate. Sometimes our customer service functions make promises we either can’t or ultimately don’t keep.
Are you or your business caught in a deadly trap?