Would you want to drive your car across a bridge that said “Max weight 5 tons*” and in the fine print it read “Bridge integrity may vary by 5 tons in either direction”?
Some of us have too many tolerances – variability we allow that makes us unpredictable, unreliable, and untrustworthy.
Integrity is the long road in a world of shortcuts. Make sure you measure everything twice. Then cut on the line. Make sure you stay in your lane and leave things better than you found them. Put others ahead of yourself. Don’t take the easy way out. Many other things could be added to the list but the point is simple – have integrity.
Integrity can describe many things from character to buildings and structures. At the root it is all the same – strength, stamina, the ability to carry the load as marked on the sign. Structural engineers know the amount based on the integrity of the materials used in building the bridge and the tolerances allowed.
What are you made out of and will it hold up?
The only way to answer that successfully is to not rely on yourself but to rely on the Holy Spirit. Only God can empower us to fidelity, integrity, and faithfulness. We need to have the desire but we will not arrive without divine assistance!
Compromise is the first crack in the bridge.
When people ask me questions about ministry one of the things I often say is that no matter what you do, make sure you do it with integrity so that when you look back on it you don’t have any regrets.
