Integrity: Accept the cost

My whole life, I have heard the phrase “Integrity is what you do when no one else is watching.” And this is certainly true. But I was scrolling through social media recently, and I heard someone in a video say, “Integrity is what you do when you’re inconvenienced.” And I have decided this is my new favorite way to define integrity. 

If there is one thing we’ve learned in the last few years, it’s that humanity does not like to be inconvenienced, especially for the sake of someone else. I think this stems from the innate selfishness of humanity - deep inside, we tend to be concerned with ourselves the most. 

Frankly, it’s easy to do the right thing “when no one is watching” if it doesn’t cost you. If you agree with it. If it’s not an annoyance or inconvenience to you. But true integrity goes deeper. 

What about when it’s something that costs you?

-When your boss asks you to do something you think is dumb. You know you can cut corners to get it done faster and leave on time, and he or she would never know. 

-When you’re going to be late for an important meeting, and you know that if you just speed and put your makeup on at the same time, you can make it even though it might be dangerous to others. 

-When you know that disclosing a key piece of information will cause someone to get angry at you. Or maybe your entire friend group would be angry with you. Maybe your boss or team will be angry with you.

-When you find a mistake that will take hours to correct. 

-When there is a question on a school test asking if you have read the material, and you haven’t, and you’re going to fail the test if you click no. 

What about then? The fact is, the minute we are inconvenienced or there is a cost involved, integrity can get thrown out the window. The corners begin to be cut. We become consumed with ourselves and start to justify our actions with arguments that certainly are not from the Holy Spirit. Because we want the easy way. The way of least resistance. “It’s not that deep,” we tell ourselves, “no one would actually expect me to make that sacrifice.” And all the while, our character takes a huge hit. 

Because at its core, integrity is a sacrifice. It means doing the right thing even when it costs you.

Even when you disagree. It means taking responsibility even when it makes your life way harder. It’s not meant to be easy. But God values it. He calls us to it.  

The Scriptures have some pretty strong statements about integrity: 

Proverbs 10:9 “One who walks in integrity walks securely, but one who perverts his ways will be found out.”

Proverbs 28:6 “Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity, than a person who is crooked, though he is rich.”

Luke 16:10 “The one who is faithful in a very little thing is also faithful in much; and the one who is unrighteous in a very little thing is also unrighteous in much.”

1 Peter 3:16 “And keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who disparage your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame.”

And these are just a few. If we say we love Jesus, and we want to honor Him, then we must be faithful in the little things. Faithful to honor Him in the midst of the frustrating moments. 

I am watching a reality show right now, and there was a segment in which the contestants had to perform intense physical tests at different locations. Unbeknownst to them, the instructors set up an integrity test by concealing a camera at the location that was hidden from everyone’s view to see if people would still do the full physical routine even when no one was watching. There were some who didn’t, and then they were confronted with the video evidence. And as I thought about this, I realized the integrity issue didn’t come into play only because “no one was watching.” It started way before. It started with their character. They didn’t respect the instructors, they didn’t see a reason to do the full routine, and they were tired and didn’t want to do it. It was an inconvenience to them. The fact that they thought no one was watching was simply the environment they needed to carry out their pre-determined character in this situation. 

We’ve seen recently in our world that some people won’t show integrity even when the entire world is watching them. So the heart of integrity must go deeper. It must be a heart willing to pay the consequences of being truthful. To endure embarrassment for the sake of being honest. To accept that someone may be angry with you, or that you will no longer be the most popular. A heart willing to endure loss for the sake of righteousness. A heart willing to put others before themselves. 

A heart willing to be inconvenienced.