Integrity

Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,

but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.

~ Proverbs 10:9

As we explored the life of Joseph and talked about the importance of integrity yesterday, it reminded me of a story I recently heard about a High School basketball coach. After coaching Blue Collar Bulldogs basketball team for 18 years, Coach Cleveland Stroud finally won a state championship game. Stroud recalled that "it was the perfect night" when they won. "A night you dream of." He was carried around the gym on the shoulders of his triumphant players and their proud parents. The local paper put his picture on the front page. But the excitement was short-lived.

Two months after the championship, during a routine grade check, Stroud discovered that one player was academically ineligible. The young man had only played 45 seconds during the regional qualifying tournament. He struggled for a little bit with the decision, but finally reported the error to the league and forfeited their trophy. When the team gathered in the locker room to lament their loss, he told them, “Boys, you’ve got to do what is honest, what is right, and what the rules say. People forget the scores of basketball games, but they don’t ever forget what you are made of. Winning is an important thing for any team, but your principles have to be higher than your goals.”

May we, like Joseph, learn to be people of integrity who honor God by doing the right thing simply because it is the right thing to do. And don’t forget to thank God for the fleas! (If you weren’t there Sunday to hear the message, ignore that last sentence… or better yet, ask someone who was there what that’s all about.)