Favorite Quote and My Musings

My Musings on Integrity
by Holly Schmitz

"A man of integrity expects to be believed, and when he's not, he'll let time prove him right." Unknown

This quote is one of my all time favorites!  Why?  Because, in life, there have been times, when I knew something was wrong at my workplace, I said something about it...and later was let go.

In college,  I was asked, "If you were in a job situation, and you knew that something wrong was happening, or you were asked to do something unethical in order to keep your job, would you tell the truth or look the other way to keep your job?"  I often thought, I hope I would make the right decision. 

What I've found, however, you never know when a decision is going to cost you your job.  Usually, you find out way on the other side of making that decision.  I have found out that if I operate under the principle of always doing right, all the time, (of course, I'm not perfect), then you really have little to worry about.  If I stood up and spoke up because I believed that children and other teachers were being abused, then I did what I knew to be true.  Too often, people are afraid of stating the truth because they might lose their job or have some other minor consequence.  In fact, two other men teachers at that school were too afraid of this potential result and told me that specifically...so they didn't say anything and put the lives and well being of the children in our school in danger.  To me, that's not acceptable.  Why not? 

 Proverbs 31
"8 Open your mouth for the speechless,
In the cause of all who are appointed to die.
⁹ Open your mouth, judge righteously,
And plead the cause of the poor and needy."

Ultimately, I want to do what is right because of the work that Jesus Christ has done in me.  He has stirred a passion in me to help children and to not stand idly by watching children being harmed by others, or destroyed by negative media, internet, violent video games, broken family, or a teacher or principal that is acting in a wicked way.   Jesus is our definition of truth.  John was speaking to his disciples when he spoke this following verse.

John 14:6
"I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” 

If I am a true Christian, I should do what is right because I want to honor God, Jesus Christ, and in order to become more like Christ...we want to represent truth in every area.  We should not 'do right' just for 'doing right's' sake.  This would be a definition of pragmatism.  

Join me today in standing for truth.  And study the scripture, especially 1st John, and John 14 and John 15.  So you know what truth is, and why you should stand for it.

Your Pardner,
Holly 

P.S.  Oh, and that principal that was acting wickedly toward the children?  Do you know that one year later, I later heard that he was found to have been accessing pornography on the school computer.  They put a window in his office door..and later he was fired.  Remember that quote from the beginning of the article?

"A man of integrity expects to be believed, and when he's not, he'll let time prove him right."