Of course you’ve been there many times before. A dead-dark night when you have no electricity for some reason, so you light a candle. And immediately that thing shines like a diamond that has a heavy spotlight six inches from it. No mistaking where it is. If you are carrying it, everyone around knows it’s you, and they know when you’re coming their way. Because burning candles don’t hide well in the dark.
Just like that candle, the decision to ‘do what’s right, no matter the consequences’ can’t hide either.
When you decide your honesty is worth everything, it’s as glaring as holding a burning candle in the dark. And believe me, your employer and those around you will be able to spot that glowing candle in your hand. You will be different than before. But if the day comes when you make the decision to give in to temptation, there will be a slight change about you then, also. Those around you will sense that the lit candle that you hold is just a little dimmer and cooler.
In the days and weeks following that decision, you may be a little surprised to find that the loss of your integrity hides easily in the dark. And it will grow. Much like dust in the corner of a dark room that accumulates without the homeowner realizing it. Tucked away out of the limelight, dust can grow without causing the owner much stress. After all, we humans are good at ignoring things that we choose to leave in the dark. At least for a while. Until a light exposes them and eventually, we have to deal with it all.
But how does that decision to give in to temptation happen?
Darkness. The thought of “I could actually get away with cheating at this,” probably doesn’t hit us as hard when we are extremely happy in our relationship, or our job, or when we have plenty of money. That’s not when we get slapped in the face with the choice to cheat or not to cheat. And for that very reason, temptation always seems to come to us in our darker times. Because those murky, uncertain days in our life make it harder to determinedly stick to our decision to do what is right – no matter what.
Remember, there is a bad side effect of giving in to temptation. When you are faced with the choices of cheating or acting with integrity and you cave, the next time it will be just a little easier to let yourself slide sideways in the darkness. To persuade yourself, “It’s okay this time, you deserve this.” And unfortunately, it then gets easier and easier with each temptation that comes.
You have to decide for yourself, “In the end, do I want ‘this’ more than I want to like me later?”