"Nevertheless the righteous will hold to his way, And he who has clean hands will grow stronger and stronger. (Job 17:9 NASB)
I remember one time when I was a teenager in High School. I had already experienced unofficial "cast parties" after some of the shows we had done in the drama department. Some of these parties were remembered as "classic" or "epic" because of the drinking, carousing, and couples strewn all over the back lawn. All of them were under age. Many of them couldn't remember what they had done the next morning. I found myself filling people in on the details.
It wasn't that I was particularly "righteous" myself, although I had the voice inside of me telling me to stay away from the stuff. No, my real motivation to do good was waiting for me at home - my father. You see, my police-officer, homicide-detective, morgue-employed dad would wait up for me. He always wanted to know "how my night went" and would make sure we took the time to talk about my evening. He was interested in the events of the evening, to be sure, but he was also interested in the color of my eyes, the size of my pupils, the accuracy of my speech patterns, and the gate of my walk. I knew dad would know if I came home drunk or high. It was a constant reminder to stay on the straight and narrow.
As I got older, I found myself motivated by something different in my dad. What was his constant reminder to stay on the straight and narrow? His dad died when he was 5 years old. He fought in World War II, worked on the force, and had plenty of opportunities to stray. Don't get me wrong, he had a couple good stories about times when he had one too many to drink, but I can count on my hands the number of times I actually saw dad drinking throughout my life. I know he had opportunities to sleep around before marriage as well as willing women after he said "I do" to mom. He never strayed. What kept him in check?
It didn't take long for me to put all the pieces together. Dad really did have a Father who was right there with him. My dad would take us kids to church services ever week...rain or shine...even on vacation. "Let's go! The boat leaves in 5 minutes!" That was our signal that we better finish getting ready for church. We woke up to an alarm clock on vacation, rode in one boat for 20 minutes to get to the dock, walked for 10 minutes to get on shore to our car, then drove another half hour into town to the little country church. We always went. It was important.
Our integrity shows through our actions when no one is watching. Strength-building integrity shows through when everyone is trying to get you to do something else...but you still follow God. Job had done nothing wrong. He lost everything for no apparent reason. His friends turned against him like a "pack of dogs." His wife told him to curse God and die. Job did none of these things. He held on to his integrity. He held on to God. He grew stronger and stronger through the whole experience. That's strength-building integrity.
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