I am SO excited to blog about this right now. ;) It is just an awesome testimony to the Lord, when I really struggled with doing the right thing.
SO I have a student membership to the local YMCA that is only $18 a month compared to the normal $40-50 dollars a month rate. The requirements are that you have to be a full time student with at least 12 credits (easily met- Im taking 21 grad credits this semester) and you need to be between the ages of 18-23.
I am 24 (yeah baby), however, since I signed up for this membership when I first moved to Richmond and was 23, they were still just deducting $18 a month from my checking account. After moving to the Southside last month to a different Y, I started to feel convicted that I should tell them that I was 24 now and shouldn't still be getting the student rate. BUT with the conviction also came the justification- Im still a student, Im on loan money, I can't afford $50 a month, they don't really care... you can see how my mind could go on and on.
The analogy that came to mind is from one of my professors at Liberty. This analogy has proven faithful to me over and over. EVERY time it comes to my mind, it makes me realize how stupid my own justification is. My professor, Dr. Ed. Barker, always used to say- 'Your integrity is not worth a chocolate chip cookie.' Meaning that we are so easily tempted to trade our integrity for something SO SMALL and trivial. We so often trade that which is of the utmost value to that which is of no value at all (or at least perishing/fleeting value). It is never worth compromising your integrity to save $2 on your grocery bill, or for me to save $30 a month on a Y bill... forget it. So sheepishly I decided to do the right thing and tell the Y.
AND HERE IS THE BEST PART! I love it so much because this is how God works! ;) This afternoon I called the YMCA and explained to them my age dilemma... and that they need to change my monthly membership fee and the girl on the phone said that I actually qualify for a different membership bracket and my new rate is only going to be $10 a month! ;)
I love it.
Thank you Lord for the positive reinforcement to do hard things. Whether we see the reward in this life or the next- it is always worth it.
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