responsibility

I read recently that a Charlotte, North Carolina man purchased a case of rare, very expensive cigars and insured them against.... get this.... fire! Within a month, having smoked his entire stockpile of cigars, and having yet to make a single premium payment on the policy, the man filed a claim against the insurance company. In his claim, the man stated that he had lost the cigars in "a series of small fires." The insurance company refused to pay, citing the obvious reason that the man had consumed the cigars in a normal fashion. The man sued, though, and won!

In delivering his ruling, the judge stated that since the man held a policy from the company in which it had warranted that the cigars were insurable, and also guaranteed that it would insure the cigars against fire without defining what it considered to be "unacceptable fire," it was obligated to compensate the insured for his loss. Rather than endure a lengthy and costly appeal process, the insurance company accepted the judge's ruling and paid the man $15,000 for the rare cigars he lost in "the fires."

After the man cashed his check, however, the insurance company had him arrested....on 24 counts of arson! With his own insurance claim and testimony from the previous case being used as evidence against him, the man was convicted of intentionally burning the rare cigars and sentenced to 24 consecutive one year terms!

Turns out the story wasn't true, but we are amazed at the audacity of so many others like this man who try to have their cake and eat it too (so to speak), attempting to take no responsibility for their behavior.

How slow we all are to accept responsibility. We're quick to point fingers, to assign blame, to expect others to pay damages. But, for just a moment, allow the "man after God's own heart" to give us a glimpse into what gave him that title.

"For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight..." (Psalm 51:3-4a)

May humility, honesty and acceptance of responsibility lead you to be a man (or woman) after God's own heart today.