May integrity and uprightness protect me,
because my hope, Lord, is in you. Psalm 25:21

The principle here that permeates Scripture is doing the right thing even when it could cost you. Sometimes that cost is money, a job, friends, relationships, or worse. We should never fear or cower in doing what is right. Galatians 6:9 reminds us: Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

The tendency we have is to give up easily, when the going is rough. We like the easy way out.

While I was in Escape and Evasion school in the Air Force, they taught us to take the unpaved roads, the forest, the swamp, the mountains or through the brush instead of taking a paved road to where we thought would bring us to safety. Why? Because “the enemy” would be on the roads and we’d be easily captured.

The truth from this school is clear to us as we live the Christian life: we love the easy life. We choose comfort over pain, a quick task over a tedious task, and the easy life over a life filled with pain and misery every day of the week.

Integrity is difficult because it means taking the difficult path over an easy one. It means we may have to suffer for that choice.

That’s okay. We have countless “witnesses” before us who have taken that weedy and rocky road. They’re looking back at us and waving at us to keep on that road.