“The godly walk with integrity; blessed are their children who follow them.” -Proverbs 20:7
We live in a town with a large military population. My husband is muscular and bald, so people often mistakenly assume he’s a serviceman. Yesterday we went out for lunch, and when the waiter brought the bill he said, “Let me make sure I added your military discount.” My husband told him he wasn’t in the military, and the waiter left us the check.
A few minutes later, I noticed my husband chuckling to himself. I asked him what was so funny, and he said, “You know, Curtis* wouldn’t have corrected the waiter. He would’ve accepted the discount even though he’s not in the military. And he would’ve made up some elaborate story about when and where we served, and all his deployments.” I laughed, too, because I knew he was right about this particular friend. He is famous for making up stories to receive discounts and special treatment. He does not have a reputation for being a man of integrity.
We giggled about our friend’s lack of integrity, but the truth is that it’s not very funny. The Bible has very strong words about living an integrity-filled life.
The way of the Lord is a stronghold to those with integrity, but it destroys the wicked.– Proverbs 10:29
The Lord detests people with crooked hearts, but he delights in those with integrity.– Proverbs 11:20
What does it look like to live with integrity in the midst of infertility? Here are a few examples I thought of:
- Being truthful how much money you spent on healthcare when you do your taxes
- Fundraising for treatment or adoption and actually using the funds for their intended purpose
- Not gossiping about the difficult interactions you have with friends and family who don’t understand what infertility is like
- Posting to your infertility blog during your personal time, not when you’re at work on company time (This one is SUCH a temptation for me!)
The good news is that integrity reaps many blessings. The two verses above tell us that our integrity “delights” God and that it becomes a “stronghold” (sometimes translated as “protection,” or a “safe place”) for those who practice it. But my favorite is the promise of a blessing on our children.
Think about that. One of the best things you can do for your future children is to live an integrity-filled life now!
As you pray today, ask God to help you live a life of integrity during this season of infertility.
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*Not his real name
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