There is an adage that says, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” This maxim seems to underlie society in the 21st century. It tells us that when you are with your buddies at work you act one way, but when you are with your wife or at church you act a different way. Your environment and your companions dictate your behavior, words and ethics. A person is rewarded for having dexterity with their behavior and ethics and becomes similar to chameleon.
With a chameleon, you never know what color you going to get until you see their environment. For all intents and purposes, they live a duplicitous life. So too with a person who lacks integrity, you never know what you are going to get until they speak or act. They are similar to a chameleon.
Integrity is standing tall and doing what is right even in the midst of obstacles and opposition. Integrity is staying on the path even when the going gets tough. Because integrity is staying true to what is right. Integrity is staying true to who God has called you to be even when tempted and coerced to be something or someone you are not.
I learned this lesson in the 8th grade. I was the only Seventh-day Adventist in my school and some of my beliefs and practices differed from my classmates. For example, going to high school football games on Friday nights. Week in and week out my friends would invite me to come and week in and week out I would come up with a different excuse as to why I couldn’t go. Finally one day my 8th grade history teacher pulled me aside and said : “Why are you making up excuses to avoid going to the football game Friday night? You need to stand up for what you believe in. If you do, your classmates will respect you even though they have different beliefs. Tell them the truth.”
It wasn’t easy to stand up to my classmates when they asked me again if I was coming to the game that Friday night. But I did stand upright and told them why I couldn’t go. And you know what? My teacher was right. They did respect me. They didn’t make fun of me for being different. They respected me because I stood with integrity.
Joseph showed integrity time and time again in Egypt. He showed integrity when he was trusted to oversee all of Potiphar’s house. He showed integrity when he didn’t give into Potiphar’s wife’s advances. He showed integrity when he was given responsibility over the prisoners in Pharaoh’s prison. He showed it by not using his God given ability to interpret dreams to leverage favor with Pharaoh’s butler or with Pharaoh himself. He showed integrity when he forgave his brothers. Joseph stood tall and did what was right again all odds. But how did he do it? We explore that in our next post.
Conversation:
- What areas of your life is integrity the most challengeing?
Recommended Book
Integrity—more than simple honesty, it's the key to success. A person with integrity has the ability to pull everything together, to make it all happen no matter how challenging the circumstances. Drawing on experiences from his work, Dr. Henry Cloud, a clinical psychologist, leadership coach, corporate consultant and nationally syndicated radio host, shows how our character can keep us from achieving all we want to (or could) be.
In Integrity, Dr. Cloud explores the six qualities of character that define integrity, and how people with integrity:
- Are able to connect with others and build trust
- Are oriented toward reality
- Finish well
- Embrace the negative
- Are oriented toward increase
- Have an understanding of the transcendent
Integrity is not something that you either have or don't, but instead is an exciting growth path that all of us can engage in and enjoy.