Being
brought up in an Irish immigrants’ home was one thing. Having parents that had
also endured the Great Depression and the Second World War added another
dimension to my life. They viewed life as being rather uncertain; thus
demanding that our household would work hard, save carefully, and not give
oneself over to frivolous pursuits. They translated that world view into my life
by insisting that I get a job as soon as possible, save as much as possible,
and not waste time doing other things that would keep me from those
responsibilities. Thus, I did odd jobs in the neighborhood until I could get
working papers at age fourteen and get a “real” job at the local grocery chain,
Acme Markets.
After school and weekends, I worked part
time. During summer vacations I graduated to a 40-hour week until school
resumed. I brought home my pay envelope each Friday, and Mom would give me
$5.00 and bank the rest for my future. They deemed a car unnecessary; I could
borrow one of theirs or Mom could drive me to work. Any special purchase had to
be saved from the five dollars I got to keep each week – after all what else
did I need having room, board, and all my basic necessities provided for by
them. This all seemed very reasonable to me and I enjoyed my life even if it
was different than many of my contemporaries. My parents loved me, and were just,
as they put it, “Looking out for you and your future.”
The lessons I learned at the Acme Markets
have been invaluable throughout life. Not only did I develop a work ethic, I
also learned about the character of people. Eventually I advanced from stocking
shelves to working the cash register. I was given a brief training course about
customer service, and the deceptions that some people would use to steal money.
I remember being surprised at how creative a thief could be! Remember, this was
in the age when: products could not be scanned; the bill had to be paid in cash
– no credit or debit cards; the cash register did not tell the cashier what
change was due a customer; and when a shortage was discovered in a cash drawer the
lack was paid by the cashier out of their wages.
One of the things we were trained to do
was to recognize counterfeit money. There were no slick markers to swipe over a
twenty-dollar bill to see if they were real. We only had our touch and vision to
quickly decide if the money was genuine. The training involved us spending most
of our time looking at and handling real money. We were to become as familiar
with the real thing as possible so that when we encountered a bogus bill it
stood out immediately. At the end of the training, counterfeit bills were mixed
into a pile of genuine bills and we had to identify the difference between the
two. We took the training seriously because when we were on a register and carelessly
accepted any counterfeit money, the mistake cost us a reduction of our wages.
We became convinced that being duped by a counterfeit was not only foolish but
costly.
This lesson has followed me throughout
life. Things are not always as they appear or as they are represented to be.
There are counterfeit promises. How many people have been duped into purchases
that have promised fantastic results and they just don’t deliver? There are
counterfeit plans. How many politicians to garner a vote have promoted plans to
rectify a social ill or injustice and the promoted dream never was realized?
There are counterfeit people – appearing to be one thing when they are
something very different than what they advertised. How many people on dating
sites have come across a person who intrigues them only to find out they aren’t
even a real person! This deception is so prevalent that there is even a term
for it – being "catfished."
Sadly, counterfeiting even shows up in the
religious realm. This is not a big surprise when one realizes that Satan
himself has used this operation for centuries. The Apostle Paul describes
people in his day that “are counterfeits
of the real thing, dishonest practitioners, ‘God’s messengers’ only by their
own appointment. Nor do their tactics surprise me when I consider how Satan
himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is only to be expected that his
agents shall have the appearance of ministers of righteousness—but they will
get their deserts one day” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15 J. B. Phillips New
Testament). Paul claims in the end religious counterfeits will “get their
deserts one day.” Quite a warning to watch out for religious counterfeits.
It is true that only God knows our hearts (Jeremiah
17:9-10). However. It is also true that Jesus challenges his followers to look
at a person’s life and be a fruit inspector saying, “Beware of false prophets,
who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You
will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:15-20). A person who wants to detect
religious counterfeits needs to check both words and actions of the individual
before making a commitment to what they offer. Follow people of truth not
fabricators.
I learned a lot of principles about life
in my Irish home. As a teen worker in the Acme I also learned many more lessons
by which to live. Watching out for counterfeiters is one lesson I have tried to
apply to all of life!
