March
31, 2014
Pastorgraphs: “When Restoring Trust Pays Off”
Do I see
evidence of integrity or the lack thereof in the news every day? “You betcha’”
(a term I learned in Wisconsin). It is a rare day that I cannot correlate the
local, state or national news to some aspect of integrity.
Forget the
low hanging fruit: the state senator arrested for taking bribes, the police
department being investigated for sexually exploiting women, or the drunken
hit-and-run drivers who end the lives of our community’s most valued, promising
citizens. All terrible examples; but sadly we have come to expect that in the
daily news.
While
watching CBS’ 60 Minutes last night, there was another “aha moment”. It came at
the end of the story about how the stock market has been rigged by some traders.
They “front run” electronic transactions of honest traders by a billionth of a
second, buy the anticipated stocks, and sell them back at a slightly higher
price, maybe pennies per stock. When you consider they do this with millions of
transactions per day, it all adds up. A part of the ruse is that it is so
insignificant, no one will notice, or complain. Although it is technically not
illegal, (another example of how laws cannot keep up with technology) it is not
fair or just. The opposite of a virtue is a vice, and this is vice.
The CBS
story told us the courageous efforts a handful of traders took to discover how
the system had been rigged, and created a whole new exchange that leveled the
playing field by creating “speed bumps” to nullify the billionth-of-a-second
advantage.
What caught
my attention were the closing words of the story. Thanks to 60 Minutes
publishing their transcripts online, here are those words:
“We're
selling trust. We're selling transparency. And to think that trust is
actually a differentiator in a service business, it's kind of a crazy
thought, right?
“Why is
this kid, why is he able to all of a sudden sit at the center of the American
stock market? And the answer is, when someone walks in the door who is
actually trustworthy, he has enormous power. And this is the story,
story of trying to restore trust to the financial markets.” (CBS 60 Minutes)
Will we
ever learn that integrity and character pay real dividends? Cheating, gaming
the system, or playing by your own set of rules might get you short term gains,
but what does it a profit a person to gain the whole world and lose their own
soul?
I know you
may be tired of my relentless messages on integrity. I am a voice crying in a
wilderness to a world that doesn’t want to hear about integrity, honesty,
justice, virtues, ethics and character.
But what I
hope sinks in is that integrity is good for you: your quality of life, your
financial bottom line and (most of all) your soul.
So is the
gospel! God’s love is good for you.
I did not chose to be the integrity whisperer. God gave me
the message and asked me to share it with you. It’s “good news” if you apply it
to your life. So maybe it is not so strange to “preach” integrity. John Wesley
framed a similar message as a call to holy living and accountability. Same
hymn, different verse.
So until the Jeremiah fire-in-my-bones burns out, or until
these lips lay silent in the grave, I will continue to preach the good news of
integrity.
Integrity
is aligning your head, hands and heart with God’s perfect will for your life.
It is the only path to true happiness, wholeness, and blessedness.
And, oh
yes, as 60 minutes affirmed last night, integrity is good for business!
Devotedly
yours, Bill Jenkins
From the Quote Garden:
“When someone walks
in the door who is actually trustworthy,
he has enormous
power.”
~ Michael Lewis ~ (CBS 60 Minutes)
Christ United Methodist Ministry
Center
“Christ
in the Heart of San Diego”
3295
Meade Avenue - San Diego, CA 92116 - (619) 284-9205
Home of
Exodus
Cooperative Parish
%20%E2%80%94%20Scaled%20(85_).png){kind=tracking}
No comments:
Post a Comment