Just Do It
For ten years it was my privilege to serve on The Committee for Integrity Enhancement. This organization in our community was started by a dear friend of mine who saw an opportunity to promote, encourage, honor and reward integrity among students and community leaders. The annual essay contest challenges students in grades 4-12 to think about the importance of showing integrity and to identify specific ways that personal integrity can make a difference to those around us.
During years of reading student essays and choosing winners, I often wondered if I could have written a “winning essay.” Some topics seem relatively easy, some are difficult. When this year’s topic was announced, I could resist no longer. “What are some steps I can take to have integrity in my everyday experiences?”
Everyday integrity. What should it look like? What does it require? Why does it matter? Someone has said, “People with good intentions make promises, but people with good character keep them.”
That statement whacked me right between the eyes. You see, I like to think of myself as a person of character. I have many good intentions. On a personal level, it’s easy to click the praying hands emoji on a Facebook post, scroll right on to the next post and never, ever stop to PRAY. My church publishes a weekly Prayer Prompter. I write in requests, circle names, and place a check mark beside those who need a card or special encouragement. Then, next week, I repeat the process for the same names convicted that I never remembered to send the card, make the call, or stop to really pray.
How many promises do I make in a day’s time? “I’ll call you back.” “I’ll check those figures.” “I’ll handle this.” Perhaps a colleague sends an email asking for feedback on an idea or document. The emails keep pouring in. This one descends to the bottomless pit of email purgatory. Then the nudges start to appear. “Did you get those figures I asked for?” What did you find out about the project?” “How did you like my idea?” Or the most convicting of all, “Thanks for your prayers!” Oops. I can’t even remember what I was supposedly praying about.
So, what should everyday integrity look like? It should look like trust, follow through, timely responses, progress reports. In other words, just do it. Finish the job. I once heard a mother ask her daughter if she “made her bed with integrity.” Every day when I make my bed this question flashes through my mind. Some days when I’m in a hurry, I simply don’t want to take the extra effort to walk to the other side, tug and tuck, pull and fluff. It’s just too much trouble!
What is required to accomplish this? Determination, perseverance. follow-through. I find that a “TO DO” list keeps me on track. Some tasks can be completed in very few minutes. I need only to consult the list to be reminded to do it. When I get home after working all day, I am often too tired to think of what needs to be done. A short list of easy tasks is not so daunting. The Bible says, “Moreover, it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” (I Corinthians 4:2) One day we will be asked to give an account of our stewardship (Luke 16:2). God has entrusted to His children resources, time, and talent. He expects us to utilize these for His glory and to minister grace to others.
Am I over-committed? It’s no crime to say, “I don’t have time for this right now.” (In a job-related situation this may not be advisable.)
Stay on task. Don’t get sidetracked. Focus. Finish one task before going on to another. Make the phone call. Read the document. Stop and pray. In fact, start the day by asking God to help me accomplish what He desires me to do today. Leave the “rabbit trails” and “squirrel” moments to others. Press on.
Why does it matter? Poet John Donne wrote in his Meditation XVII,
No man is an island entire of itself; every man
is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;
if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe
is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as
well as any manner of thy friends or of thine
own were; any man's death diminishes me,
because I am involved in mankind.
And therefore never send to know for whom
the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. [emphasis mine]
Every day other people are counting on me to do what I am expected to do. They need me to complete one piece of their puzzle so they can move forward. More importantly, God has much to say about how I live my life. Ephesians 5:15-16, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” How do I walk circumspectly? I think I know what that means, but how does it translate into action? The Amplified Bible explains it this way: “Therefore see that you walk carefully [living life with honor, purpose, and courage; shunning those who tolerate and enable evil], not as the unwise, but as wise [sensible, intelligent, discerning people], making the very most of your time [on earth, recognizing and taking advantage of each opportunity and using it with wisdom and diligence], because the days are [filled with] evil.”
I need to live with honor, purpose and courage. Not to receive honor from others, but to honor God with my words, choices, and actions. Not to make empty or frivolous promises, but to honor the promises I make. Every day I need to seek God’s purpose. My responses need to be intentional. I can’t simply coast downhill. I must commit to doing my best to accomplish God’s purpose and to meet others’ expectations. This takes courage. It’s easy to coast. It’s easy to quit. Coasting and quitting are not components of character or integrity. I need wisdom, discernment, and God’s help to demonstrate integrity in my everyday experiences. Philippians 3:13-14 (AMP), “…forgetting what lies behind, and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the [heavenly] prize…” and to hear God say, “Well, done, good and faithful servant…enter into the joy of the Lord.” (Matthew 25:21)
