Sunday, October 17, 2010

Integrity on the way to the ballgame

"He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity" (Proverbs 2:7, ESV).

Funny thing happened on Friday night. I flew back to Houston after an incredible few days in Louisville. We met some friends for a quick dinner before the neighborhood high school ballgame. Someone offered a free pass to the ballgame ($5) but it would have meant that we were dishonest about who were worked for...since the intention of the pass was not for us. We turned it down and gladly paid the $10 ($5 each) to get into the game, knowing that it was the right thing to do. (Let's be honest, we can all use any extra we can get these days.) Upon giving our ticket to the girl at the entrance gate, the policeman grabbed the tickets from Dana's hand and asked him to wait there. He came back, shoved a $10 bill into Dana's hand, and "comped" him for the tickets! We had his three kids in the youth group at church years ago. It was a blessing and it was fun to catch up.

Here's the point: what if we had used the pass? He would have known that we were getting in "illegally" and we would have thrown away 20 years of integrity. It was an amazing reminder that as leaders, we are to have integrity in all we say and do...because God has integrity..He IS integrity. He is right and honest and holy. As we live out our lives, our best witness may be while living out the character of God.

May God continue to be our shield as we walk in His integrity.

Don't forget to come to the W conference! http://events.sbts.edu/wconference