The following excerpt is an observation made of Abraham Lincoln from the book The Integrity Advantage:“The heritage of our American nation includes a profound reverence for integrity. . . . In one speech, characteristic of others he would make, Abraham Lincoln took a position that would end up costing him his race for U.S. Senate vs. Stephen A. Douglas. [He said boldly that] the country could not survive . . . as a house divided, ‘half-slave and half-free.’ He knew [what the] consequences of his words [on such an emotional issue might be, but he said]: ‘I would rather be defeated with [that declaration in my] speech . . . than to be victorious without it.’ [And he was defeated.]
“[But] the integrity that cost him the senate seat [later] won him the presidency [of the nation]. It . . . also inspired the nation to prevail in [its most brutal war] and [ultimately it freed those slaves about whom he spoke. In great measure] Lincoln’s integrity shaped our young nation’s values [at that crucial time and still defines] what it means to be American.”
You can never go wrong if you're doing what's right. A line from one of my favorite songs says "sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same" and more often than not that seems to be the case.
But..... Because God is real, because he loves us, and because all He wants for us is happiness, we can rest assured that all of our losses will be made up, all of our pain will amount to greater strength, and all of our afflictions will be consecrated for our gain. What a promise!
