Do the right thing!
“Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest.”
—Mark Twain
Doing the right thing brings to mind a conference Mary and I attended many years ago. The keynote speaker was General Norman Schwarzkopf. One of the most decorated military commanders of the 20th century, Schwarzkopf led all coalition forces in the Gulf War (aka Operation Desert Storm). What stayed with us ever since hearing his riveting speech was his five word personal life philosophy: Always do the right thing!
It sounds simple. However, how does one know and do the right thing in any situation regardless of personal cost? The “right thing” for purposes of this blog is taking action that is morally right in the objective sense based on truth as distinct from the subjective sense based on personal feelings and preferences.
Henry Braun, the mayor of Abbotsford, Canada is a great example of doing the right thing. Braun used to be the co-owner, president, and CEO of Abbotsford-based Pacific Northern Rail Contractors Corp. At a LeaderImpact event in 2017, he shared his story.
In the early 1990s and three years after a contract closed, Braun became aware that his company had overbilled its largest customer by more than $100,000. In a meeting with the vice president of this major national company, he was asked why he would bring the matter up three years after the fact. The company was so large that, if he had not told them, they likely would have never discovered the mistake. Braun told the vice president that he knew the truth, and therefore, based upon his personal values, he was compelled to rectify the mistake. Because of his integrity, the customer sent them more business than they could handle over the next few years.
Braun admitted that he had not always put so much importance on honesty. However, his relationship with Jesus that began at the age of thirty-eight had transformed his life so radically that he was able to tell the truth—even when it hurt!
Braun admitted that he had not always put so much importance on honesty. However, his relationship with Jesus that began at the age of thirty-eight had transformed his life so radically that he was able to tell the truth—even when it hurt!
Of note, Braun didn’t define “the right thing” based upon his feelings and preferences. Rather, having surrendered his life to Jesus, he looked to Jesus, who defined Himself as the truth, to inform his decision. And the cost of making things right, rather than deterring him, motivated him. In effect, he applied the Golden Rule to his situation and did for his customer what he would have wanted his customer to do for him if he had undercharged the customer.
At the risk of oversimplifying, followers of Jesus understand that “the right thing” is what Jesus would do in every circumstance. And since Jesus, the eternal Son of God, is love, another way to frame the question, per the Great Commandment, is “What does love require of me?” For every believer, the way to know the right moral choice is to know Jesus relationally and, in particular, through biblical revelation aided by the indwelling Holy Spirit in every believer.
Have you or others you know of paid a significant price for doing the right thing? I would love to hear your stories. Please let me know!
Photo by Tingey Injury Law Firm on Unsplash
