In opening my Bible, it opened to Psalm 25 again. Of particular interest was verse 21 “May integrity and honesty protect me, for I put my hope in you.” So, when I’m honest and conduct myself with integrity, I’m protected.
I thought of all the scandalous information the media has been bringing to the country’s attention. Anthony Weiner, General Petraeus, the National Security Agency, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell, and so many more “scandals” have surfaced within the past year. All of the people involved in these scandals have been entrusted by the various communities – local jurisdictions, the military community, the intelligence community to work and serve on their collective behalf. Interestingly enough, all of these entities have acted with honesty and integrity in their careers. General Petraeus would not have ascended to the position of General had he not earned the trust and respect of the communities in which he participates. Anthony Weiner had to have acted with honesty and integrity at some point in his career to have ascended to the political position he enjoyed in the past. The NSA has been collectively working to provide security to the United States for years and they’ve found needs and taken action to address our security needs even when the countrymen and women were unaware they needed to be protected. Governor McDonnell has been entrusted with managing and serving the Commonwealth of Virginia’s affairs for the duration of his term.
So, what happened? How did they go from being trusted people working for the good of the community to being parts of scandals? My guess is they began to put their hope into themselves rather than a higher power. When you put your hope and trust into someone greater than you, you are forced to come face to face with your own humanity and limitations. When you believe YOU are the source of the power and strength, you run the risk of believing you can do what you want to, when you want to, how you want to. So you do things that in the past you wouldn’t have done. Or, you don’t believe you’ll be caught or even worse, you believe if you’re caught, you can transcend the hand of the law. So even if your actions are not punishable by the legal system, you are subject to punishment from the court of public opinion. The challenge is that people don’t forget. We may forget the sting of the pain one’s actions had when the information was first revealed, but we don’t forget the act. Anthony Weiner should know that very well. People “forgave” him for his sexual indiscretions once, but not twice. You see, it positioned him as being arrogant and appearing to believe he would not have consequences for his actions. The people of New York may be progressive and understanding, but they will not tolerate arrogance.
There’s a story about a man who along with his young son went to get a newspaper. He used a newspaper dispenser that operated on the “honor” system. The man looked around and seeing no one, he took the paper and was walking away when his son reminded him he forgot to look up. Whether we realize it or not, someone is watching us all the time. How did that father think his son would process that situation? He was teaching his son it was okay to not act with integrity. What actions are you taking that shift you from that place of honesty and integrity to a place where your actions are questionable and could position you to be judged negatively by your peers or even worse, by God? Walk in honesty and integrity in everything you do and people will notice. They will also stand up for you because you have proven yourself to be a person of integrity. You may take a little longer to achieve a goal, but you will be happier when you know within yourself that you have been honest and conducted yourself with integrity.
Good guys and girls finish first.
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