We must beware of a lack of integrity in what we think are minor things. They are not minor things. And if they were minor things, a lack of integrity rarely ends there.
Rosie Ruiz won the 1980 Boston Marathon in the women’s category. And she held that title for eight days until it was determined that she had not run the entire 26.2 miles. In fact, it is likely that she ran only a half-mile after jumping onto the course. None of the other runners remembered seeing her on the course, and she crossed the finish line without any signs of fatigue, such as panting or sweating. Ruiz’s lack of integrity about a race did not end with the race. In 1982 she was arrested for embezzlement and in 1983 for involvement in a cocaine deal.
A lack of integrity in small things rarely ends with the small things. Please note: I am not suggesting that lying and deceiving others about a race is a small matter, but surely embezzlement and involvement with cocaine are more devastating. And a lack of integrity in so-called minor areas of one’s life typically grows and multiplies to other areas. Here are three common ways a lack of integrity multiplies in someone’s life:
