Courage Under Fire
There will always be circumstances that will test your integrity. Will you be up for the challenge?
Having integrity is not always easy. Especially when, far too often, we see many who’ve been compromised rise to wealth and prosperity. Those who’ve “sold their soul to the devil” in order to become famous and/or wealthy.
It’s easy for anyone to want to give into that kind of temptation. “You just have to do this one little favor,” it might be presented as. Before long, you find that you’ve been compromised too.
How does one recover from that?
Perhaps having integrity is not your problem. Rather, the problem is standing strong against those who lack it.
When the going gets tough, integrity prevails.
Whenever you find yourself in a situation where you’re being asked to compromise your beliefs, know that you’re not alone.
Years ago, I worked for one of the major railroads in the U.S. My boss demanded that I allow several safety violations to continue in the railyard. To him, and his bosses, productivity was more important than safety. It was so bad that he literally cursed me out for even questioning it.
Needless to say, I didn’t stay with that employer much longer after that. I tried to stand against them and for the safety of the employees. Unfortunately, my authority was overridden by theirs.
Please understand, it would’ve been extremely easy for me to “turn a blind eye” to what was happening. The pay I received was quite high. And it provided a very luxurious life for myself and my family.
At the same time, I was working twelve-hours a day, six days a week. Not to mention the one-hour commute time, each way. Yes, I was paid a lot, but I worked too much to enjoy it. My wife even told me, that if I kept it up my daughter, who was one at the time, would grow up not knowing me.
Was I willing to compromise my integrity for a position like that? For me, it was a no brainer. The answer was a resounding, “No.”
As life would have it, within a few years of my departure, thousands of employees lost their jobs. There were major layoffs due to severe losses in revenue. And that hasn’t stopped.
In the end, I didn’t prevail because they went through great struggles. Rather, I prevailed because I didn’t compromise my beliefs. With my head held high, I went onto bigger and better things.
The easiest road isn’t always the best or safest.
It would’ve been a lot easier for me to “go along to get along.” I would’ve been promoted within a year and would’ve been making a six-figure income. That was a lot more in 2006 than it is now. But I knew that money wasn’t the most important thing. In fact, there are many things that are more important than money.
Going along to get along might be a nice slogan, but it’s a terrible strategy. Sometimes, going against the current is the better way. A good example of that is the salmon.
Every year, thousands of salmon swim upstream to spawn. They’re swimming, against the current, to the reach a place where they will mate and lay their eggs. And many of them will never make it there.
In order to reach their destination, they have to swim against the strong river currents. Why would they do that? Well, they swim upstream so they can reach locations where their eggs will be safe from predatory fish.
The salmon could easily stay where they were. But, by going the “easy way,” their eggs would surely be eaten. Their baby fish would never have a chance to live. Therefore, to make life possible for their offspring, they choose to go the hard way.
In the same manner, to leave a good legacy for our offspring, we too have to go against the forces that try to push against us.
You’re stronger than you think you are.
Some might use the excuse like, “I really need this job.” Do you? How is a job worth the money if you lose who you are? You have to live with yourself for the rest of your life. Whereas jobs come and go. Someday, you will be replaced. It’s inevitable. Eventually, unless you’re the CEO, you won’t even be a memory to that organization.
One thing that I learned from my time in the Army is that we’re stronger than we think. We all have proverbial “walls” that our minds create for us. When we hit these walls, our minds tell us that we can’t give it anymore.
However, what I’ve learned is that if you keep pushing, you will in fact break through that wall. If running, you’ll achieve what is known as your “second wind.” You’ll actually have renewed energy and strength.
You’re stronger than you think. You just have to keep pushing through “the pain.” The same thing goes with standing against those who are compromised.
In the end, you will stand taller and stronger when you don’t compromise. Not to mention, you will be rewarded for your stance. In reality, most companies (at least those on the up-and-up) really do want individuals who will not compromise.
Remember, you’ll never have to go through it by yourself. For those of us who have put our faith in Jesus Christ, we know that, no matter what we go through in life, we will never have to go through it alone.
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