Integrity

I love to draw. One of my favorite styles of art is caricatures. This is the a style of art that distorts the face and or bodies of the person you are drawing. If you have ever been to a fair, you will likely find someone there in a booth drawing people with abnormal eyes, oversized noses, or ears as large as their head. We look at these pictures and usually laugh.

I was in Santa Cruz not long ago with my family. My daughter liked the idea of getting a drawing of us together as caricatures. We sat down for 30 minutes as the talented young lady drew us together. I got home and wanted to draw my own caricature of my brother’s children and my daughter.

One day, long after they left, I was walking by the picture and it struck me. “Truth!” I said. Now, I may have lost you, but hang in there. The definition of truth is “something that is in accordance with fact or reality.” What does this have to do with caricatures? The premise of drawing a caricature is to emphasize certain parts of a person's face or features of their frame. The point for the artist is to create a real-ish type of representation of a person; not a true, accurate, or realistic representation of the person.

The definition of integrity is, “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.” Many of us, unfortunately run into people who are their own artist's drawing caricatures out of life. These people are those who will artfully, painstakingly, and for their own profit, distort the reality of a situation, a person's character, or perhaps even their own lives. They accentuate the parts that benefit them. They emphasize one aspect of truth over another, making the reality of any given situation warped and twisted. Have you ever met someone like that?

Maybe your name has been dragged through the mud. Maybe your reputation has been marred by partial truths or misrepresented words or over-exaggerated expressions. It has happened to all of us. What will we do when our position, job, livelihood, our status, place, or character are called into question?

The Bible has ample advice on dealing with critics or false witnesses.

"Be quick to hear" (James 1:19). This can be hard to do because our emotions rise up and our minds begin to think of ways to refute the other person. To be quick to hear means we really do try to listen to and consider what the other person is saying. We don’t just write it off. Even if it seems unjust or undeserved.

"Be slow to speak" (James 1:19). Don’t interrupt or respond too quickly. Let the other person finish. If you speak too quickly you might speak rashly or in anger.

Be slow to become angry. Why? Because James 1:19-20 says the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Anger won’t make someone do the right thing. Remember, God is slow to anger, patient, and long-suffering with those who offend Him. How much more should we be.

Don’t rail back. “When [Jesus] was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23). Talk about being unjustly accused! Yet Jesus continued to trust His Father and did not revile in return.

Give a gentle response. “A soft answer turns away wrath” (Proverbs 15:1). Be gracious even to those who offend you, even as God is gracious to us when we offend Him.

Tell the truth. When you walk with God, you will find you have to make tough decisions. You may have to share hard things others may not like. This does not mean you shrink from telling the truth.

Integrity: “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.” There will be times in your life doing the right thing will cost you financial gain, professional prosperity, friends, colleagues, and much more. NONE is more costly than integrity. If we lose our integrity, what do we have left?

I challenge you, hold on to integrity. Be honest even when it is frowned upon. Be truthful even when others ask you to weaken your position for the sake of unity. Be faithful to God even at the expense of your livelihood.

I pray that as trials and affliction assail you (and it will until Jesus comes) you will stand for the right though the heavens fall. May God bless you and keep you until his soon return.

“But as for me, I will walk in mine integrity: redeem me, and be merciful unto me" (Psalm 26:11).

Pastor Michael Butler

(This is will be last contribution Pastor Michael will be making to the Happenings. Pastor Michael and his wife Kristine will be moving to the state of Washington to continue ministry there. Please pray for them as they make this transition.)