As a volunteer for Big Brothers Big Sisters, I have the opportunity each week to view life through the eyes of a fifth grade boy. Abundant with lessons, this view of life is both joyful and sobering.

In spring and summer, I leave the fifth-story office with wall-to-wall cubicles where I work, and go to recess on the school playground. Aside from the occasional squabble over whose turn it is to kick the ball, that is pure joy. In the cold or wet months we often go to the computer lab. There is some joy in this room, but pure joy is harder to come by.

One day my "little brother" wanted to use the Internet to find codes for a video game he plays at home. Gamers commonly refer to these codes as "cheats." According to www.videogamecritic.net, cheats are "special codes that allow you to bypass the normal limitations of a game." CheatCodes.com says that a cheat "gives you something secret or hidden that wouldn't have otherwise been available to you."

Unfortunately, we daily see evidence that many in society want to bypass the normal limitations of life.

• Studies conducted with high school students by the Center for Academic Integrity found "over 70% of respondents at public and parochial schools admitted to one or more instances of serious test cheating and over 60% admitted to some form of plagiarism" (http://www.academicintegrity.org/cai_research.asp).
• Statistics on marital infidelity vary widely because (not surprisingly) those who cheat on their spouses often do not respond to surveys truthfully. Most survey information indicates that 20 to 40 percent of men and 10 to 30 percent of women have been unfaithful at least once in their marriage.
• In 2005, the Economic Policy Institute reported that citizens and businesses owe $353 billion in taxes to the U.S. government that were never paid. Understated earnings and overstated tax deductions—blatant cheating—are largely responsible for the problem (http://www.epinet.org/content.cfm/webfeatures_snapshots_20050413).

Linking the use of video game codes to the concept of cheating at best is misleading. Describing seemingly harmless fun as "cheats" offers acceptability to the idea of cheating—especially since, as they say, "it’s only a game."

The adage, "he that will cheat at play, will cheat you any way" expresses far more accurate reality. A person who will break the rules in a game will inevitably break the rules in life.

We develop the character of God by consistent obedience to His laws in every aspect of life. Playing by the rules ensures far more blessings than we could ever obtain by cheating. God’s Word constantly proclaims the principle, "Wealth gained by dishonesty [the easy, "cheats" way] will be diminished, but he who gathers by labor [honest effort] will increase" (Proverbs 13:11).

Cheating is a form of stealing and also of coveting—wanting what is not rightfully yours—which invariably leads to more sin. American entertainer and thinker Pearl Bailey once said , "The first and worst of all frauds is to cheat one's self. All sin is easy after that." The ancient Greek dramatist Sophocles also expressed a far better outlook on life. He said, "I would prefer even to fail with honor than to win by cheating."

Ask God for help to resist the temptation to get ahead by cheating. Choose the true blessings that He offers by living honestly. Remember, there are no "cheats" in life. VT