In a few days, my beloved Boston Red Soxs will be mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. As I try to recover from the sting of this reality, I comfort myself by reflecting on the greatest comeback of all-time. Any serious baseball fan knows that being down 0-3 in a 7 game playoff series means certain defeat. The team facing elimination might pull a fluke win or two to make things interesting, but they never manage to pull off 4 straight Ws. So, back in 2004 when the Boston Red Soxs found themselves with their backs against the wall it would have been easy to just shut it down early and give up.Гвозди – типы гвоздей, виды

The cards were stacked against them. They were facing the Evil Empire (New York Yankees).  Their pitching ace (Curt Schilling) was limping to the mound injured. On top of having the Curse of the Bambino hanging over their heads, they also had thoughts of Bill Buckner running through their minds. History was not on their side.

Yet, instead of calling for the next mornings tee time or planning their familys vacation, they decided to reverse the curse. How? Instead of being consumed by the huge obstacle they faced, they took hold of the mindset of just trying to win the next inning. It seems cliché, but there is plenty of truth in taking it one game at a time.

For many of us, integrity and how we live our lives seem so far apart that we think attaining a Godly character is a lost cause. There is so much we need to work on that we dont have the slightest clue where to start. However, if the Red Soxs can reverse over 100 years of bad history, there is hope for our character yet. In terms of integrity, it is about playing the next point by just doing the next right thing.

What the next right thing is will be different for everybody. Each of us has places in our lives where we are more prone to forgo our integrity to feel loved, valued and accepted. Doing whatever it takes to meet those needs almost becomes second nature. Most of the time we act without even thinking. When we allow our lives to remain unchecked, these reflex actions build upon each other and can lead to enormous regret and hurt. They also reveal our true character and shine light on the things we truly value. The question that we must wrestle with is whether the things we label as our convictions truly matches up to our words and actions.

Integrity doesnt come easy. In our quest for a life defined by integrity, we must possess perseverance, hope and courage. There are many who want to be a man/woman of character, but are reluctant to put in the effort needed for this to occur. They exchange integrity for the easy life. Others keep themselves so busy that they have absolutely no time to examine the matters of the heart. However, what most of us are guilty of is arranging our circumstances so we appear to be people of integrity. We are so quick to throw in the towel when God is looking for people who are willing to stay in something that matters: our spiritual formation.

Are you looking for a way to keep your word in front of you all year long? Register for a My One Word account! One of the key features of a MOW account is an online Word Journal that allows you to capture your thoughts to reflective questions like you see above. You can go back at any time to read your completed journals to see how God has been moving in your life through your word in 2010.  If you already have an account, the questions from this blog have been posted to your Word Journal log in to your account to start your Word Journal today!