A wise man once said:
“If you once forfeit the confidence of your fellow citizens, you can never regain their respect and esteem. You may fool all of the people some of the time; you can even fool some of the people all the time; but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.”
If you’re thinking that this wise man is Abraham Lincoln, you would be correct. Abraham Lincoln was born on Feb. 12, 1809, in Kentucky, and he was the 16th president of the United States of America. His birthday is celebrated every year on Presidents Day, which, as it turns out, is next Monday.
Abraham Lincoln is remembered for his resolute and successful leadership of the Union during the Civil War, a period of great difficulty and conflict in the history of America. He is also mourned for his tragic death at a time when his leadership was greatly needed to restore a broken country. No matter which circumstance he is remembered more for, however, he can always be thought of as an honest man.
You’ve heard the term “Honest Abe.” The term refers to Abraham Lincoln’s outstanding reputation for being honest no matter the situation he found himself in. Lincoln considered honesty to be the “noblest work of God,” and he once told a friend:
“I believe it is an established maxim in morals that he who makes an assertion without knowing whether it is true or false, is guilty of falsehood; and the accidental truth of the assertion, does not justify or excuse him.”
Lincoln’s honesty defined him, and he held others to the same standard of truthfulness that he held himself to.
We should also strive to be honest in everything we do. Honesty is such an important quality, especially in today's culture. Every day we are bombarded with lies, whether it be from the media, our leaders, or our peers around us. When we come across someone who holds honesty in a high regard, however, we are pleased and often very quickly develop a trust in them. We all want to surround ourselves with these types of people, but we should also take a step back and strive to be this sort of person.
We should not reach for truthfulness just to be respected in the world, though. God's Word does command individuals to be truthful several times:
"You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor." -- Exodus 20:16
"The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful." -- Proverbs 12:22
"Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices ..." -- Colossians 3:9
Abraham Lincoln believed strongly in the power of honesty. He believed that honesty is integral to being successful not only in man's eyes but in God's eyes also, and it must be practiced.
