Thoughts on the Cost of Honesty

Kudos to Kathryn Ford of Louisville, Kentucky. She was the gambler at Caesars Indiana who alerted the casino to the generous nature of one of their slot machines. It seems that gamblers were being given a $10 credit for every dollar they deposited. Faulty software proved to be the culprit.

The casino’s investigation revealed that over 2 dozen patrons had played the machine before Mrs. Ford and walked away with almost half a million dollars in winnings. The casino (more precisely, the casino’s attorney) is in the process of contacting those players to “encourage” them to return the money.

Not everyone would congratulate Kathryn Ford for her honesty. Critics may describe her as overly conscientious, at best; foolish and even moronic in the opinion of others.

The twenty-some previous players obviously found justification for their silence. Some probably believed that the casino had deep pockets and could afford the loss. Others might claim negligence of the law. (“Criminal intent” is assumed when people knowingly play a malfunctioning machine. Now you know and are without excuse!)

Then there’s the golden rule: do unto others as they do unto you. (I hope you caught that convenient misquote.) Even upright Mrs. Ford noted that casinos do not reimburse patrons when the machines fail in the casino’s favor; it didn’t seem fair to her that they would demand a refund from her fellow gamblers.

The story confronts us with a question of ethics. What would you have done had you been in Kathryn Ford’s shoes, or more precisely, on her stool?

Granted, this story is peculiar in its setting and large financial ramifications. Life for the rest of us is less interesting. So what do we do when the cashier at McDonalds gives us an extra dollar in change? A measly dollar isn’t going to break the bank for Mickey Dee. Maybe for you a dollar would be easy to return. What if it was ten dollars, or a hundred? Is there a point at which new rules of honesty kick in?

Jesus said that “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much” (Luke 16:10.) In God’s eyes, there’s only one rule of honesty and it is above negotiation. Being honest in the small stuff prepares us to deal with bigger responsibilities. On the flip side, those who have succumbed to temptation in seemingly insignificant matters have little chance of withstanding the enticement of great gains.

Simple? Yes. Easy? Not for everybody. Risky? Always. Let me illustrate.

I ordered 5 items from the dollar menu at Wendy’s and calculated the bill to come to something over 5 dollars. When the cashier asked me for $4.85, I wondered if I should say something or take my “winnings” and run. I suggested to her that she must have omitted something from my order since it didn’t come to 5 dollars. “No, I got your order right,” she assured me. “I gave you the senior discount.”

I hoped that was meant as a compliment – I don’t even qualify for AARP yet! I had tried to be honest. So I took my windfall, stooped at the shoulders and shuffled off…

What would you have done?

Blessings,

Pastor Dave