In this world were lying is seen as a way to get ahead, we need people of integrity to rise up and lead the way. To show the world that the honest guy does not finish last.
Honesty really is the best policy. Time and time again, we have seen the fallout from people who lied, cheated and stole to get ahead. We’ve seen the utter devastation they’ve brought on the lives of their families, friends, employees, business partners, etc. Jesus said it best when he said “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but forfeits his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his own soul?”
If you have to lie, cheat and steal to get ahead, you are not truly successful in the end. Success isn’t measured by the size of your bank account, the size of your estate, the fancy car you drive or how many people you have under you. True success is measured by how you treat others. It’s defined by what you do to help others succeed, how you provide for those in need. Not just those who you are friends with, work with you or under you, but also to the stranger in the street.
If you only help those you know or who treat you kindly, what good is that to you? People of integrity treat everyone equally and show then the same respect regardless of who they are. Whether they are a CEO of a huge company or a street sweeper. They know that everyone matters no matter what their position is in life.
I’ll use an example. I have a friend, Pat, who’s job it is to clean the Emergency Room at the local hospital. She was telling me that she didn’t think that her job was very important and she was tired of doing it. I looked at her and told her “You single handedly have the most important job at that hospital. Even the mightiest surgeon can be taken down by one single germ. Now, you might not clean the operating room, but some of the patients that end up there come from the ER. And if you didn’t clean the ER correctly and your counterpart didn’t clean the operating room correctly, a virus, bacteria, fungus, mold, etc could infect the patient and they could die. And no matter how skilled the surgeon or doctor is, they may not be able to save the patient. While they’ll never thank you or notice you unless you’re job’s not done right, your job is very important.” Pat then told me that she never thought of it that way. She left that day smiling and feeling good about herslf and her job.
This is how we people of integrity need to treat and encourage each other. People of integrity speak the truth in love, they encourage and lift up those around them, they bring out the best in those around them, they are then same in privet as they are in public, and always seek to be as open and transparent as possible. They always try to do the right thing. They don’t compare themselves to others or look down on others. They don’t show favoritism or partiality to anyone.
By being a person of integrity, you are not only making the world a better place, you also don’t have to worry about any “skeletons in the closet”. As Mark Twain put it “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to have a good memory.” (I’m quoting that from memory. So I might be a bit off on the wording. But the point still applies).
So I challenge you to join me in the pursuit of being a man of integrity. Who’s with me?