A Psalm 1 Man

Image courtesy of Simon Howden
FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The integrity of the upright will guide them. - Proverbs 11:3 (NKJV)
     
      My father inspected buildings being constructed for the state, making sure the contractors followed the blueprints. Having worked construction himself when he was younger, he knew too well how corners could be cut and a building's integrity undermined. He refused many a contractor's overtures, often gifts of liquor stashed in the back seat of his car. His colleagues soon recognized he could not be bought. He would not allow his personal integrity to be undermined.
      The word integrity comes from two Latin words that together mean "untouched, whole, entire." These two Latin roots also give us integrate, which means "to weave or blend separate entities into a working whole or unit."
      Personal integrity cannot be put on and off like a garment. Rather it is woven into the moral fabric of our lives over time. We weave it in each time we keep a promise or tell the truth no matter what it costs us, whether it's claiming all our income on our tax return, returning extra change we received by mistake, or paying the difference when we're undercharged. We weave it in each time we admit our mistakes and take responsibility for our words and actions.
      My father was a man of integrity - or, as I like to phrase it, a "Psalm 1" man.
      What characterizes a Psalm 1 man, a man of integrity?
      Two things: what he doesn't do and what he does.
       He doesn't walk in the counsel of the ungodly, stand around with sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers (v. 1). Notice the verbs show a progression: walking, standing, sitting.     
     Walking in Scripture implies a way of life. The Psalm 1 man walks, all right, but he takes the narrow road, often alone (Matthew 7:13-14). He walks by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7), and he walks in the light (John 8:12). As a result, the man of integrity walks securely (Proverbs 10:9).
      The Psalm 1 man doesn't "stand in the way of sinners." He doesn't hang out with those for whom wickedness is a way of life. He knows that "bad company corrupts good character" (1 Corinthians 15:33). The man of integrity keeps moving, knowing if he walks with the wise he'll become wise, and if he associates with fools, he'll get in trouble (Proverbs 13:20 NLT).
      And the Psalm 1 man doesn't "sit in the seat of mockers." Sitting implies settling in and getting comfortable with those who mock God, ridicule Him, and defiantly reject Him. The man of integrity doesn't join in with those who scorn God and His way. Indeed, he stands up for that which is good and true, right and just, noble and holy.
      The Psalm 1 man knows God's Word so well it's a part of him, nourishing him and guiding him, causing him to thrive (verses 2-3).
      All it takes is one man of integrity to influence the world around him. Be that Psalm 1 man.

      May our nation and world be filled with Psalm 1 men. Amen.

More tea: Read Psalm 1

FATHER'S DAY SPECIAL: Someday you'll understand

Honor your father and your mother. – Exodus 20:12 (NIV)

My dear Michele, the letter began. Perhaps by now you are over the mad spell at me for scolding you the other night…

Printed on motel stationery and folded neatly in a yellowed envelope that bore a State College postmark, the letter brought back a memory from my high school years. I settled on the game room carpet while snowflakes twirled in the winter wind outside and let my mind drift back to a midsummer night when I was 15. . .

The warm July sky sparkled with a thousand pin-lights as my friends and I walked through town. It was just the kind of night that holds magic for a teenage girl on the brink of growing up. Heady with all the freedom and fun, I’d neglected to call my parents to tell them I’d be late. We had no cell phones in the 1960s, remember. By the time I climbed the front porch steps, it was past midnight. Dad waited at the door. . .

This is the first time you ever stayed out late without calling and letting me know your whereabouts, the letter continued. I was actually sick with worry after walking up to the bazaar and not finding you there. By that time I was imagining everything.

I couldn’t remember Dad ever being so angry with me before. After an ugly scene, I stormed up to my bedroom, grounded for two weeks. The next day Dad seemed to have gotten over his anger, but I treated him with icy silence. By the time he left for work Monday morning, I still hadn’t spoken to him. Since he worked out of town through the week, I knew I wouldn’t see him until Friday. The letter came Wednesday—after my mother told me that he’d gone out in his pajamas looking for me, even searching the bushes along the sidewalks I would have taken had I come straight home.

As I read Dad’s words that long-ago day, my stubborn resistance melted away as a father’s love triumphed over teenage pride. One moment of panic, I realized, doesn’t cancel out years of steadfast love. Four years later Dad died.

It is so hard for a parent to be cross with a child, but sometimes it is necessary for your own good, he wrote. Perhaps when you have children of your own, you will understand how we feel.

I thought of my own three children. They’d all had me frantic with worry and fear at times as I imagined the worst.

“Yes, Dad,” I whispered softly, holding his letter close to my heart. “I understand.”

Thank You, Father, for parents who loved me enough to discipline me when I needed it. Help me to be a parent worthy of being respected, valued and honored. Amen.
Special-Tea: Hebrews 12:5-11