“Here I am. Witness against me before the Lordand before His anointed… . And they said, “You have not cheated us or oppressed us, nor have you taken anything from any man’s hand.”
1Samuel 12:3a–4
There is a freedom that comes in having nothing to hide. Living a life of integrity allows you this freedom. Yourintegrity is measured not by what you say about yourself but by whatGod and people say about you. Samuel had lived all his life among thepeople of God. Leaders who preceded him were dishonest and corrupt; itwould have been easy for Samuel to compromise in his dealings as well.Near the end of his life, however, Samuel could boldly stand beforehis nation and ask them to reveal any offense he had committed againstany of them. They could not think of one. In his position ofleadership, Samuel could have taken advantage of people.
Yet becausehe carefully guarded his motives and kept his relationships blameless,Samuel could fearlessly ask the people to report if he had mistreatedthem in any way. It takes courage to open your life up to the scrutinyof others, but Samuel did not fear what others would say about him. Hedid not have to avoid anyone whom he had offended. He had a confidencethat comes from living a blameless life. If you have mistreatedothers, you cannot change the past, but you can choose to live withintegrity from this day forward. Living righteously frees you to faceany person unashamedly, knowing you have behaved in a Christlikemanner. If your reputation is stained, seek forgiveness from those youhave offended. Ask God to guide you daily in your relationships sothat you have no regrets about your treatment of others.
