The Pursuit for Integrity
The Challenge of Becoming a Person of Character
Most of us desire to become people of integrity. However, we must be able to resist the lures that threaten our achieving it?
Is it all right to compromise and take supplies from work? After all, who’s going to miss one pen or a stapler? Do we yield to the temptation to peek at websites we have no business peeking at? Or do we quietly turn our heads and refuse both compromise and temptation? While doing so can be the more difficult choice, choosing integrity is always the best and the most rewarding one.
Today’s society bombards us with enticing lures persuading us that we need or should have ‘things’. We may desire to achieve more status, money, or possessions. All of which can be good if we don’t overindulge or become obsessed, causing us to threaten integrity.
According to Beth Moore in Daniel, Lives of Integrity Words of Prophecy, choosing integrity isn’t easy. We must resolve to live a life of integrity on purpose, or we won’t do it at all. She says that, “You and I, our children and our children’s children can [develop integrity] no matter how stunningly carnal this world becomes. If we resolve” (26).
The rewards of integrity include a stronger sense of self-respect, which increases our desire to be an even better person. In addition, integrity boosts our self-image because we know we can be trusted and we grow in our conviction to do what is right.
However, as we grow in integrity, we must resist the urge to become self-righteous. It’s easy to do when we do what’s right but see others don’t. For example, if several people on the job found a way to avoid working or carrying their share of the load, and they haven’t been caught, it’s easy to stick our noses up at them and let them know we’re on to them. Or we may find a way to let the boss know because we feel we’re better than they are and their getting caught makes us ‘look good’.
The truth is if that’s the way we feel, we are just as bad as they are. If our attitude isn’t right and we judge them, we’ve become self-righteous. The same principal applies if, in the same situation, instead of becoming self-righteous, we become bitter and resentful because of their ‘getting away with it’. If we watch it going on long enough, we become angry and want to do something about it ourselves.
So, what’s the solution? One suggestion is to trust that in time the boss would discover their behavior. When he or she does, those employees would face the consequences, which may include being fired. That's when we would be grateful we didn’t follow suit. We’d also find our integrity still intact because we didn’t become self-righteous, bitter, or try to take matters into our own hands.
At some point, we’ll all face moments when we find ourselves in a position either to yield to temptation or to compromise. To remain a person of character we must resolve to keep our integrity, even in the face of ridicule and rejection.
