Listen to Men of Integrity – She Said

You’re fired.

I couldn’t imagine this man who was always the first to arrive and the last to leave, being canned. When Tad walked out of the foreman’s office with his head hung and shoulders slumped, I knew something was wrong.

Tad was responsible for keeping State records for chemical output—refrigerants. He monitored the panel of LCD pads filled with electronic data, then recorded the levels. When production lines blew the pipes for cleaning, Tad noticed that the readings spiked to 9.2, more than twice the amount allotted by the state. He tried to warn the foreman.

“State regs say 3.5 is the max. Shut it down,” Tad said.

His supervisor ignored Tad’s plea so he did the only thing he knew to do. He noted the readings. When the foreman saw the reports he called Tad into his office and demanded he change the numbers. Tad refused. Al fired him for insubordination. Tad walked out of the plant in a daze.
Tad’s wife wheeled into the plant parking lot and pulled up next to him. “What’s wrong with you?” Betsy shouted. “Just change the paperwork. It’s no big deal. Just say you were wrong!”

Tad shook his head. “I wasn’t wrong and I won’t lie.”

For the next ten minutes the entire plant heard Betsy’s rants. She yelled, cried and then resorted to angry personal attacks, belittling the man who loved her in front of his friends. No one seemed to support Tad’s decision to act with honesty and integrity.

Job felt the sting of a woman’s scorn too when his wife made lite of his integrity. Job knew he was innocent, and yet God allowed his suffering, perhaps even endorsed it. Still, he refused to curse God for his hardships.

Men of integrity are hard to find these days. Corporate leaders lie, politicians trade votes for cash, some of our church leaders favor the large donors over the needy, sick and unlovely. Instead of celebrating virtues, we mock God’s morals.

Job held on to his integrity and trusted God. Betsy failed Tad, just as Job’s wife failed him. Their selfishness out-weighed their husband’s integrity. I’m instructed to behave as a godly wife, to stand behind my husband, not confront him when his cause is just, his heart pure—even when I don’t understand his reasoning. Living a holy life is hard but Christ has given us the Church to support us in times of testing.

Our country was built on the power of integrity. Do you know someone tempted to compromise their character for the sake of their personal security? Pray God will strengthen them to stand firm—for if they fail, if we fail, we lose not only our character and our integrity but our nation, too.

Eddie Jones and Cindy Sproles are friends and co-founders of ChristianDevotions.us. They co-write the popular He Said, She Said devotions and host BlogtalkRadio’s Christian Devotions Speak UP! along with Marianne Jordan.

And now you can catch them each Friday evening at 7 p.m. on He Said, She Said Radio! (Call in number, 646-929-0706 ). They travel with Christian Devotions Ministries teaching the art of writing devotions at writers conferences across the country. Eddie and Cindy are featured in Spirit & HEART: A Devotional Journey.

Publisher: Lighthouse Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-9822065-1-5