Integrity

There are many times in my life that I stop and ask myself why I do what I do. Things that have lingered on even though it seems I've either outgrown them or I'm just sick and tired of doing them. Commitments that don't seem worth keeping and situations that, once the curtain is pulled back, I wish I'd never even been a part of. I find that in these moments of reflection it's very easy to say, "To heck with it all" and move on with my life. But to do that would not only be cowardice, it would also mean that the lessons I've learned in my time doing these things have profited me nothing. To continue in my integrity, doing the things that I've committed to and disliking it all the more is akin to refining a precious metal. It takes a lot of fire to burn out the chaff that would have me being tossed to and fro by the wind. Although it may seem like I'm doing the same old routine, not profiting a thing by it; I've actually completely changed my drive for why I do what I do. And my integrity grows stronger by the day as I continue in it. I've come to realize just how true the old adage is, "A man is only as good as his word."

"...He learned obedience from the things which He suffered." -Hebrews 5:8b (NIV)