Is Cheating The New Norm?

  A few months ago I over heard my daughter talking with a school classmate on the phone. I found my self inclined to listen as the conversation grew more intense. Suddenly, my daughter hung up the phone and exclaimed "I won't do it I won't!" You won't do what? I asked, She said," I won't give her the answer to the math problems that's cheating and I won't cheat!" I was proud of my daughter and I hugged her and told her she was right.
  I've noticed in the world of sports there seems to be a cloud of awkward suspicion around the New England Patriots and some deflated footballs which may or may not have given them some kind of advantage in the last win.Personally if it turns out to be true and it is proven that there was some kind of  known wrongdoing it is most unfortunate and it sends a very bad message to our youth. It goes almost without saying that athletes are often idolized and many young men and then seek to be like them. I have to wonder though are the setting a good example for our youth? I heard today on the news that disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong said that if he could go back to 1995 and was faced with the decision to cheat or not to cheat to win he said he would do it again. I now
  I now have to wonder has cheating become the norm in America? As a Christian I know it is wrong to knowingly cheat yet even Christians need to be careful with this issue. Here is what I mean. Suppose you decide to sell your house and some potential buyers come to look at it do you tell them the roof sometimes leaks or do you just happen to forget to mention it? Here is another example as a Christian I am to try to as honest as knowingly possible therefore, I can't tell my daughter to be honest and not cheat and then knowingly cheat on my taxes!
  There seems to be a type of thinking in this country even among some Christians that troubles me and it is expressed as it's only wrong if you get caught or the government cheats all the time therefore, I ought to be able to. As a Christian I can only speak for myself I personally could not tell anyone I was a Christian if I knew that I cheated in one way or another every chance I could and even if one supposedly, gets away with cheating in this life Christians should remember that we will face God one day and he knows every intent of our hearts.
  The fact that there is political corruption in government and thus cheating goes on all the time does not justify cheating in the eyes of God for a Christian. I find as a Christian I have to be careful because cheating can be so easy to do . Here is another example the speed limit is sixty but you notice that that all the cars are passing you and they're doing seventy so you do seventy to keep up with traffic but if you get pulled over I'm pretty the officer won't buy your explanation! The truth is cheating is more than an action of the will it is a measure of character. Make no mistake someone who will cheat will lie or steal or do most anything if they think there is a chance they can get away with it. I fear that cheating has becoming the norm in America if true all I can do is pray that this nation will remember the Christian principals she was built on and seek to change this trend and thus as a Christian I know that before I can pray for the nation I must make sure that cheating never becomes the norm in my life. As always my friends these thoughts remain just some words to think on.