Have you ever been all alone and faced with a choice? On one hand, you could choose Option A, the “right” thing to do. Or, you could choose Option B. With this option you might come out ahead or profit in some way. With this option you may get away with it as you think no one else is watching.
So how do you decide? It could be something small, like getting to the car and realizing there was something in the bottom of your shopping cart for which you didn’t pay. It’s a hassle to go back into the store and put the item back or stand in line again to pay for it. You already made it out of the store. You could just put it in your trunk and go home. Probably no one would be the wiser.
However, it’s illegal. It’s stealing. While you may believe it’s not hurting anyone, it is still wrong. What’s the big deal about integrity? Here are some reasons keeping your integrity in tact is so important:
If you want to believe in other people, they need to be able to believe in you
Most of us would say that we want our friends and family members to be honest and loyal. To be good people. If we want that from other people, isn’t it realistic to believe that others will expect that of us? If we want those around us to live up to their words,
Someone may actually be looking
Just when we think no one is around and we can get away with something, we find out that someone is actually watching us, waiting to see how we’ll respond. We see it on TV on the shows that have hidden cameras. We saw it in the Bible when Moses, who thought no one was around, killed the Egyptian who was beating a Jewish man. The next day Moses saw to Israelites fighting and tried to stop it. One turned to him and asked him, “What are you going to do? Kill me like you killed the Egyptian yesterday?” Moses was so afraid, he fled the country for years. If you have children, you must know they often hear things we don’t mean them to or see things we think we have hidden from their sight. Our integrity must stay in tact, even in the small things. If you really don’t want to go to work and you call in sick even when you’re not, it sends your child the message that it’s okay to lie when it’s convenient for you. There are not many parents that would wish or tolerate that behavior when they are the ones being lied to by their children. But, if we teach them those lessons in our own behaviors, we will end up reaping what we’ve sown.
God expects it and demands it from us
Scripture is pretty clear that God wants us to be people of honor. God gave us that command in Exodus when He gave Moses the 10 commandments. James 5;12 says, “All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Manipulating your words into half-truths means that you’re telling half-lies. Jesus overturned the tables in the temple because the peddlers had used the needs of the people for sacrificial animals as an opportunity to cheat the people and make money.
Society needs to see people of integrity be consistent
We can’t check our integrity at the door just because we think dishonest or shady behavior will benefit us in the moment. Whether or not our society wants to admit it, it is longing for consistent, honest, dependable people to step up and make a difference. We are told in Romans 2:12, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” God wants us to be different, to be set apart. People around us are often inspired by stories of people who go above and beyond the norm. It’s why the news is so enamored lately with the stories of the “Secret Santas” that popped up over this last Christmas season to pay off people’s layaway bills. It’s why ESPN runs stories about real life heroes who are making a difference. Most of these stories do not revolve around the athletes that are getting paid tens of millions of dollars to hoop it up on the court. Many times these people look like the Average Joe, just doing the unexpected-living with honor, integrity, and kindness.
There have been hundreds of famous people who are famous and fall from grace. The short list ranges from people like the former President of the United States Bill Clinton to televangelists like Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggert. However, there are some people everyone is watching who have lived lives of which they can be proud. That’s why there is such a buzz when someone like Tim Tebow uses his platform to live his life out loud in front of millions or why people have such a respect for someone like Billy Graham. They are living lives of which they, their families, and God can be proud because they are striving to honor Him in their words and deeds. While there are some hoping folks like Tebow and Graham will stumble and make a mistake so they can pounce on them, it is usually so they can rationalize their own short-comings and feel better about themselves. Maybe, instead, those folks should try to live a life of dependability, self-sacrifice, integrity, and honesty and see if those characteristics might be more fulfilling that waiting for someone else to fall or fail. Who we are when no one or everyone is looking should be one and the same.
If you are struggling with choices of right and wrong or living up to whom you really want to be, there are things you can do. Perhaps you can talk with someone from a local, Bible-believing church as it may be a spiritual issue. Or, you may want to consider speaking with a professional counselor. Individual counseling or family counseling can help you and those you love articulate what steps can be taken to make sure who you are in public and private match.