“Far be it from me to say that you are right; till I die I will not put away my integrity from me. I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go; my heart does not reproach me for any of my days.” (Job 27:5-6 / ESV)
Many know the story of Job and how God allowed the devil to test his faith by slowly chipping away at his armor. After realizing that Job’s faith was indeed an uncommonly strong one, you may remember how Satan then took matters into his own hands by emptying Job of all he had – literally plucking it from his fingertips – an onslaught of wretchedness, filth, and hate seen by very few people, ever.
My bonus (a term my wife and I use instead of “step”) son Brody plays for the mighty Yale Bulldogs Men’s Lacrosse team. Yesterday, on Memorial Day, he was on national television for the second year in a row, playing for the NCAA Division 1, Men’s Lacrosse Championship. The right to be called King, again. That’s correct. If you follow Lacrosse (and you should if you don’t!), you know that last year, on the biggest collegiate stage possible, they beat the mighty Duke Blue-Devils to win their first championship in program history.
Our son doesn’t play, though, and it’s a bummer because he’s good. Really good. The parent in me tries to stay positive, in spite of the fact that the starting goalie for the defending national champs is ranked 62 out of 69 goalies, with a .457 save percentage. What is impressive though, from my perspective, is the fact that Brody sticks with it. He works arguably harder than most everyone else on the team. His attitude about his situation could be so much worse, and yet there he is, every morning, afternoon, and night – busting his hump because he has committed to a higher cause in his life than his own.
There’s a concept that every man, including myself, can embrace. To commit to a higher cause than our own. Let’s get back at Job. What, do you suppose, was his higher cause? I believe, for every person, that there comes a point in time for one’s life, where, regardless of what is believed or said about you that isn’t true, you stand up. You straighten your back and stick your chest out. You stare with intent and do not flinch away. Even if your spouse doubts you, you conscientiously decide to rise up.
There is no bigger stage than college championships, if you’re a college athlete. The biggest stage of all though is the life you are living right now. Regardless if you are homeless, jobless, divorced, live in a mansion, run a successful business, you must have integrity. It is highly likely that Brody knows his starting goalie’s stats but integrity keeps him coming back for more. It is probable that our son will not see meaningful time between the posts before he graduates next year, and even when it gets to him (news flash – our son is human), you can bet you will see him on the practice field – acting like the second and third units are the first – giving his 110%.
I admire our “Bro – Bro”, as his momma affectionately calls him (she also calls him “Beastie” – but somehow that doesn’t seem to fit for this particular blog…) – and I admire Job. Till I die I will not put away my integrity. Trench Brothers – it’s in this particular place that I feel we as men can have the biggest impact on the world. I have struggled with integrity throughout my life. The Bible tells us to let our yes be yes, and our no be no. It’s safe to say that God puts a premium on integrity.
My hope and prayer is that you walk away from your computer, having read this blog, and decide to take a stand somewhere in your life where integrity has been absent. Learn from our son, a pretty darn good lacrosse keeper, and learn from Job. Most of all though, please learn from Jesus – to which no higher bar has ever been raised.
Congratulations to the University of Virginia Men’s Lacrosse Team – 2019 DIV1 National Champions! The Cavaliers were hungry!
Special Note: in no way was this blog post meant to take away from what Yale has accomplished throughout the history of their lacrosse program. Comments were not intended, in any way, to be derogatory towards coaching staff, players, or any other part of the Yale Men’s Lacrosse family. I am not a coach and do not proclaim or pretend to understand the difficulties in developing men at that level. Great job this year Elis! Hold your heads high and set your gaze upon next year’s throne.
Trench Brothers 