Good Success Day #5: The Unseen Audit
“Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.” — Proverbs 10:9 (NIV)
THE JOURNEY
I once consulted for a man named Robert who owned a rapidly growing construction firm. Robert was aggressive, charming, and successful by every external metric. He drove a luxury car and wore Italian suits. But during our sessions, I noticed he was perpetually jittery. He checked his phone constantly. He flinched when the office door opened unexpectedly.
One evening, over a confidential dinner, he admitted the truth. To secure the bid for his biggest project—the one that put him on the map—he had bribed a city official. It was a “small” bribe, he rationalized, just the cost of doing business.
“I have the contract,” he whispered, staring into his drink. “I have the money. But I haven’t slept through the night in three years. Every time the phone rings, I think it’s the auditors. Every time a police car drives past my house, my heart stops. I am a prisoner in my own mansion.”
Robert had success, but he did not have Good Success. He had built a castle on a landmine.
Contrast this with a woman I knew named Elena. She ran a small accounting firm. She once discovered a tax loophole that could have saved her biggest client $50,000, but it was legally gray and ethically murky. If she used it, she’d be a hero. If she didn’t, the client might leave.
Elena chose to be honest. She told the client, “I can’t use this deduction. It’s not right, and I won’t put you or my firm at risk.”
The client fired her. She lost revenue. For a month, it felt like failure. But a year later, that client was audited. The new accountant, who had used the loophole, was fined heavily and lost his license. The client returned to Elena, humbled, and brought three new referral partners with him. “I need someone I can trust in the dark,” he told her.
Elena slept like a baby every single night. That is the security of Good Success.
Heart of the Matter
The word integrity comes from the math term integer, which means “whole number.” It means you are not a fraction. You are not one person in the church lobby and a different person in the boardroom. You are whole.
The world often preaches a “whatever it takes” version of success. It suggests that cutting corners, fudging numbers, or stepping on others is necessary to get to the top. But Scripture warns that this is a trap.
Proverbs 10:9 promises that integrity brings security.
- Good Success is the ability to look anyone in the eye without fear.
- It is the freedom of having no secrets to keep straight.
- It is the wealth that doesn’t need to be laundered or hidden.
When you compromise your character to gain a dollar, you lose a piece of your soul. But when you lose a dollar to save your character, you are investing in a reputation that will pay dividends for generations. God keeps the accounts, and His currency is trust.
Faith in Action
Integrity is usually tested in the small things before the big things.
The Challenge: Perform a “Integrity Scan” on your life today.
- Are you hiding a purchase from your spouse?
- Are you exaggerating your hours on a timesheet?
- Did you make a promise you haven’t kept?
The Action: Choose one area where you have been walking a “crooked path.” Straighten it out today.
- Confess the lie.
- Return the extra change.
- Send the email clarifying the truth.
It will be uncomfortable for ten minutes, but it will buy you a lifetime of peaceful sleep.
Prayer for the Day
Lord of Truth, I confess that I am sometimes tempted to cut corners to get ahead. I have feared that if I am totally honest, I will fall behind. But I know that ‘Good Success’ brings peace, not paranoia. Today, I choose integrity over expediency. I choose to be a whole person. Search my heart and show me where I am hiding. Give me the courage to walk uprightly, knowing that You are my Shield and my Provider. I want a success that can stand in the light. Amen.
SUCCESS Note
“Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.” — C.S. Lewis