Podcast Episode 22 – Without Compromise (part 5)

This week’s episode builds on Monday’s article, part five in the series titled “Without Compromise.” Here is the transcript of the podcast:

Have you struggled with compromise or conformity? That’s the ongoing question we are talking about in this series.  Today’s discussion is the fourth in the series, all of them based on a study of Daniel chapter 1 and corresponding to the articles posted each week on the Leadership Ezra website.  The big idea we will be discussing is how you can navigate pressure – specifically, the pressure to compromise or conform in an unhealthy or immoral way – without deviating from your values.  It’s really going to be a discussion of how to lead and live with excellence without compromising your faith.  And today, that begins with matching your beliefs and your behavior.

When my children were young, somewhere in their early elementary years, I was involved in a very minor accident when I was driving them to school one morning.  I had pulled out of our neighborhood and onto the main road, which had a large intersection and a streetlight on the corner of our neighborhood community.  The light was red, so I pulled up to my place in the line of cars, in the middle lane behind another, and with cars on either side of me.  As I was sitting and waiting at the light, I glanced in my rearview mirror, and I could see a minivan approaching from behind me, and it did not appear to be slowing down. I could see in the mirror that the driver of the vehicle was looking at something in her hand, and not at the road, so she wasn’t seeing the collision she was about to cause.  In that moment of time, I knew I couldn’t move out of the way because of the cars around me.  I could see my kids in their car seats sitting behind me with no awareness of what was about to happen.  I remember thinking that I needed to not react before the accident happened, otherwise the kids might tense up, which could lead to more injury.  And then the lady looked up, and I could see the panic on her face as she slammed on her breaks and screeched to a stop, enough that when she did hit the back of my car, it was only a slight bump.  That’s when the kids jumped and asked if we had been hit by a car.

At that point, a very specific thought flashed through my mind, and it was this:  “My children will learn something important by how they see me respond or react right now, and they watch me to see if I really believe what I tell them when I talk to them about how important it is to treat each other with the love of Jesus, regardless of how the other person may have wronged them.”  Honestly, that was my first thought.  Therefore, I chose the words that came out of my mouth with intention, and I said, “Kids, somebody bumped into our car because she wasn’t paying attention, so she must be having some really hard things going on in her life. While I get out and check the car, why don’t you pray for her?”

The opportunity I had in front of my kids at that moment was the opportunity to reflect integrity, and my response didn’t happen by accident in spite of circumstances being caused by an accident.  I believe integrity is best described as consistent wholeness between what you say you believe, and what you do, and that is something you choose to do on purpose.  That’s what Daniel demonstrated in Chapter 1, v. 8, which tells us that he “purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself.”  In this situation, he knew what he believed, and made a conscious decision and commitment to ensure that the next actions he would demonstrate would match with what he knew he believed to be true.  He determined to show behavior that would be consistent with his beliefs.

What we need to understand is that people will judge our character – and specifically, our integrity – by how we live out our convictions and our stated values.  I once shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ with a successful businessman who was a moral person, both with his business and with his family, but not a Christian.  When I pressed, he responded by telling me he knew a lot of people in the business world who said they were Christians and that he was more moral than they were, so why would he want what they were offering?  A lack of integrity on their part impacted his willingness to hear the message.

Here’s what you need to take away:  It doesn’t matter whether you think someone can see you or not.  Integrity is a character trait, and therefore, if it is part of your character, it will be exhibited no matter who is or is not watching. If you don’t have integrity when no one sees, you won’t have integrity when people are watching, either.  So forget about whether or not anyone will see. Instead, like Daniel, purpose in your heart not to defile yourself. Make the conscious and intentional choice to act in obedience to God and His Word, with a visible consistency between what you say you believe and how you act in any circumstance. Choose to live with integrity.

The bottom line is that your ability to refuse to compromise in the face of pressure is directly tied to your commitment to consistently match your behavior with your beliefs.  It doesn’t happen by accident