One Fatal Mistake

How many times do we hear about super famous people or somebody that  is perhaps anonymous to the general public but that lives down the street from you that looses absolutely everything because of one fatal mistake. One lapse of judgment and they are done forever, one decision, one word, one moment of anger, one moment of desperation… with life long consequences.

We could talk about people like Tiger Woods, Bret Favre, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and so many others that a moment of weakness killed their reputation. But sadly we can also talk about Ted Haggard, Jimmy Swaggart, and many other ministers that are being talked about throughout different news outlets everyday because of their character failures.

Every single one of this individuals, whether in music, sports, politics, filming industry, ministry. At some point in their lives was presented with a choice to do the right thing or have it their way. To listen to their conscience or to listen to their inner desires and they chose to put everything on the line and risk it all to have what they wanted right then… and this is not just about sexual temptation. This is about everything. All the way from money, power, sex, fame, to a position, promotion, grades, recognition, etc.  All those cravings that we for some reason long for and are willing to compromise what we are all about to achieve.

For some reason we are so prone to overlook the long-term implications of our actions. We only think of the here and now, and we avoid seeing the trail that comes behind our poor choices.  Slowly we justify more and more our selfish behavior and never confront the fact that we lacked the integrity that is genuine because is backed up by actions and not just talk.

Bottom line is integrity truly matters when nobody is looking, when we are making those choices completely alone and by ourselves. The type of choices that we are making both, in our head and in our hearts, long before the occasion to face the physical temptation arises.  That is when true character is being developed…  and that’s when we make the one fatal mistake of flirting with the limits when we are by ourselves and we don’t realize that we are jeopardizing absolutely everything else that we have.

Just like we saw in the life of Saul and it cost him his Kingdom, in the life of David and it cost him his son, in the life of Absalom and it cost him his life.

So the challenge is for every single one of us to start taking a really hard and honest look at ourselves and see in which areas we have been slacking off and compromising (maybe in your job, studies, couple, walk with God, relationships with friends, family), and have a real conversation with God asking him not just to forgive us, but also to open up our eyes to see how big of deal integrity and character are to Him.