Real Life Honor & Integrity Lessons
I generally work Monday evenings and my wife stays home. Recently, she has been glued to the TV watching “The Bachelor.” However, last night the opposite happened. I volunteered to watched it for her and tell her what happened. This show is about a man searching for a wife out of a handpicked group of 25 incredibly gorgeous ladies. I considered it a waste of an evening, but I did it to honor my wife!
As the episode started, there were only 4 ladies left vying to marry a nice, rich, handsome male. Each lady was on her best behavior, as they introduced their family to him. One of his favorites, a model, informed him that she had posed naked in Playboy and in some videos. The Bachelor of her dreams, eliminated her immediately! She had lost her honor. He knew his hometown wouldn’t accept her.
What is Honor?
In Merriam Webster’s Dictionary HONOR includes: a good name or reputation, public esteem, outward respect, holder of high office, purity, integrity, ethical conduct and implies trustworthiness. If one loses honor, they are no longer trusted. Interesting how the lack of honor the can be caused by greed, pride, foolish decisions, etc. impacts our lives. Here are some examples:
1) This lady lost the husband of her dreams. Now, any man marrying her can be distracted, by the whispers behind his back and “dirty” comments about her. He’ll waste his time/energy defending her honor, instead of doing his job to the best of his ability.
2) The male Governors of Oregon and Virginia along with several congressmen, were recently forced to resign. After spending a lifetime building their honor, they lost it – dishonor involving beautiful women and money. Their carefully sculpted careers and lives were ruined!
3) (Lie’n) Brian Williams a NBC News Anchor fabricated stories about his helicopter being fired upon in the Middle East and watching a dead body drift by after the Hurricane Katrina, each to make him look better to his public. Both were well-documented lies. Losing his honor, cost him the most prized news job in the U.S.
4) Hilary Clinton lied about being under sniper fire at the Tuzla airport! (Quite the opposite.) Senator Elizabeth Warren claimed she was a descendant of American Indians to get scholarships and prestige university jobs. Again, lies! Her only relationship might have been an ancestor who actually killed Indians. Could you trust a liar to be your President?
5) President George Bush promised “no new taxes!” He compromised with the Democratic Congress and levied a small tax. The breaking of trust allowed Bill Clinton to defeat him in the next election!
Once lost, Honor and Integrity are extremely difficult to regain.
People just don’t believe you anymore! Someone can always recall the former event where you lost your honor and use it against you! But, isn’t it wonderful that if we confess our sins, God will completely wipe out and forgive all your sin as though it never happened! (I John 1:9) However, your accuser (the devil) will always try to use it against you. So, don’t listen to the devil; he’s a liar and the father of it!
So here’s wisdom of the ages:
A) A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches. – Proverbs 22:1
B) Whatever things are true, noble (honest), just pure lovely (laudable) or of a good report. If there is any virtue (excellence) and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things – abbreviated from Philippians 4:8
C) . . . before honor is humility. – Proverbs 15:33b
D) . . . honor is not fitting for a fool. – Proverbs 26:1c
E) . . . If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. – John 8:54a
F) Let the Elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, – I Timothy 5:17a
G) The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them. – Proverbs 11:3
Conclusion
Certainly, I’m not perfect and at times I have lost my integrity. It is very hard to regain! Protect your honor! Watch out for the stumbling blocks that steal integrity – pride, greed, white lies, compromises and lies of convenience. Choose honor and integrity! They will never let you down!
