Integrity put to the Test in the Workplace...

Marvin and I are really experiencing what it truly means to live cutting-edge lives of integrity. We have had one after another test of integrity in this last month. We hope that it will become more and more natural to not only IGNORE and BE DIFFERENT from darkness, but to REJECT and CHALLENGE it.

We had the privilege of hosting Dr. and Mrs. Harris for breakfast last week. I have been encouraged over and over by their lives of truth and boldness for the cause of Christ. Marvin and I were encouraged as we heard Dr. Harris telling of how he has lost patients for his faith. At times, he has had to refuse prescribing certain meds to single men who are sexually active. He has had people mad at him for letting what they would call his "religion" mix with his work. As Christians, we understand that our faith should touch EVERY aspect of our lives, ESPECIALLY our work!

God is really teaching us the importance of letting our work be just one more instrument in the Lord's hands to impact the world around us. One of the things Marvin has been doing lately is finding cars for really good deals to offer either to a car-buyer, or people in the car business who will then, sell the same car for a higher price. Marvin will get paid a small commission for this, or in some situations, he has done this just as a ministry just to help people as well. He has so much experience and is so gifted in this (and many) areas, and he really just loves doing it. Although in SOME situations and with some of the connections he has, the person selling the car will just tell him how much he wants for the car and let Marvin negotiate the car at what HE (Marvin) thinks would be a reasonable price. Marvin is able to make much more this way, but he can only do this based on an agreement with the seller. All of this to say, last week Marvin was in a situation where a very nice, 2010 car was being sold VERY cheap, and Marvin had a client to buy it, and he was going to make a good amount of money on it. All the papers were in order, all the information was correct, but the Lord put a doubt in his heart about whether the car title was really original or not. The paper looked a little fuzzy in some spots. Marvin started to wonder if this car could possibly be stolen and really went to ALL EXTREMES to find out if that was the case. To make a long story short, it WAS a stolen car! the car has already been reported and the owner, who had insurance on the car, has already been paid by the insurance company. Sooner or later, we believe this car will fall into the hands of the police. We were so thankful to the Lord that He spared us from being involved in a car deal with a stolen car and so thankful to not have money on our hands obtained from a dishonest deal!!!

I had a little test of integrity today as well. As I set up my hair salon and am getting more and more clients, I am asking the Lord that all of it be used for His glory. Well, I was put in a situation today where a guy that we know called to say he was bringing over a friend for a hair cut. This same guy has come to get his own hair cut and has brought his wife, a lovely woman, to get her hair cut as well. So he has given me several new clients! When he arrived at the house though, this friend he brought was a young beautiful girl either in her late teens or early twenties. He dropped her off and left. As I walked away towards my salon room though, I could literally hear and see out of the corner of my eye this man kissing this young girl!! I was so offended and started to ask the Lord what I should do. On the one hand, the world says that being neutral and not sticking our nose in others' business is okay. On the other hand, as Christians, we understand that sometimes passivity is participation, and we SHOULD be willing to lose clients to challenge the darkness. Well, I started to do this girl's hair and first just started chit-chatting with her and, at the same time, still praying to the Lord to give me wisdom. The Lord gave me a love for her, and I asked her how she had met this man. As she started to tell me, I discovered that she is a young girl who lives with her two older siblings right in the neighborhood across the street from me!! She basically has no serious intentions with this man, and he has no serious intentions with her. So I asked her if she knew that he had a wife, and she did! In fact, she knew that he had a wife and a daughter with that wife, and she knew that this man was a womanizer. But this man had told her that he had problems with his wife and was not close to her. I told her that I knew his wife, and she had, in fact, come to my house as well! I could sense that this young girl was a little nervous maybe, yet at the same time completely at ease and not offended that I was asking such personal questions. She was a little surprised at how shameless this man had been to bring both his wife and his girlfriend to my salon. She laughed nervously the whole time she was with me. I started to share with her about my marriage and about the beauty of a faithful marriage and trust between a husband and wife when they were truly together and faithful not only in the good times, but in the bad. I also encouraged her to value herself and wait for someone who she could value and trust. I had a sense that she already knew the truth, and she was not defensive. In fact, maybe she needed some grace. I asked her if she believed in God, and she did. In fact, she told me that she had been going to church in the past and was not doing that great right now, yet she has a sister who has been encouraging her to go to church with her and telling her that this was the most CRUCIAL time for her to go. I encouraged her that yes, this was an important time to seek God and let her know she has an open invitation to go with me. I also welcomed her to come back to my salon alone or with her sister. She got the picture. She will not be coming back with this man, and, in fact, she decided to go ahead and pay her own bill. I don't know if she WILL come back or if this man will ever come back or send me more clients, but I am so thankful that my conscience is not guilty of silent participation in a man being unfaithful to his wife, and a young woman playing games with a married man.

Our faith should touch EVERY aspect of our lives and OF COURSE our work! Lord, make us alert and wise as uncomfortable situations keep us on the edge of living radically for You. Teach us to challenge the darkness around us every opportunity we can possibly get. Use us as your warriors and keep us from passive Christianity...