In the fourth round of a national spelling contest in Washington, DC in 2013 Rosalie Elliot, then an eleven-year-old from South Carolina, was asked to spell “AVOWAL.”
In her soft Southern accent she spelled it. But did the seventh grader use an a or an e as the next to last letter? The judges couldn’t decide. For several minutes they listened to tape recording playbacks, but the critical letter was accent-blurred.
Chief Judge John Lloyd finally put the question to the only person who knew the answer, “Was the letter an a or was it an e?” he asked Rosalie. Surrounded by whispering young spellers, she knew by now the correct spelling of the word. Without hesitating, she replied she had misspelled it. She walked from the stage.
The entire audience stood and applauded, including half a hundred newspaper reporters, one of whom was heard to remark that Judge Lloyd had put quite a burden on an eleven-year-old.
It must have been a heartwarming and proud moment for her parents. However, isn’t it interesting that so many had the apparent feeling that the issue might have been in doubt and that honesty might have bowed to temptation.
A LIE IS LIKE A PAIN KILLER, IT GIVES INSTANT RELIEF, BUT THE SIDE EFFECTS LAST A LONG TIME! TRUTH IS LIKE SURGERY. IT HURTS, BUT THE CURE LASTS!
Have YOU in YOUR life stopped taking honesty for granted, especially from those in public life? What are YOU doing and saying to make honesty a hallmark of everyday living?
GOD LIVES IN AN HONEST HEART!!
