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Women@Work

Proven Trustworthy

Call it what you want: faithfulness, stability, constancy, “staying true,” reliability, steadfastness, dedication. Trustworthiness is a character trait we can cultivate—with God’s help. And if we are seeking God’s pleasure, it is a trait we must exhibit consistently. Why consistently? Because trust is fragile and is easily undermined.

The greatest reason for cultivating trustworthiness in our own lives is rooted in the fact that it is a trait our God values highly—not just for Himself, but for each of us.

The Old Testament tells the story of the godly prophet Daniel. If you’ve ever wanted to see someone who maintained his commitment to godly truth and integrity in the face of tremendous difficulty, Daniel is the perfect example. Although he and his nation were captives, slaves of King Darius, Daniel’s character took him places:

“Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent” (Daniel 6:3,4, NIV).

Not only was Daniel of good character, but even the pointed scrutiny of his jealous colleagues could not uncover a hint of corruption in his work or in his life. Daniel showed them up for their self-serving motives, their corruption, their negligence to fulfill all of the duties of their positions. Rather than determining to conduct themselves in the same way to bring credit and justice to the entire government, these men instead chose to focus their efforts on entrapping Daniel.

Likewise, as we work to distinguish ourselves as trustworthy employees and managers, some around us will be pleased, while others may work to bring about our downfall. Jealousy will do that. So will guilt.

What consequences might we encounter if we choose to make trust a priority in our careers? Eyes wide open, we must make our choice, counting the cost. Maybe it won’t put our mortal lives in jeopardy, but pursuing impeccable character could have a substantial cost in our career advancement.

Daniel was elevated to a position of authority, but only after he had earned the respect of the king, and proven himself trustworthy. Will we, like Daniel, choose to pursue character, developing the trait of absolute trustworthiness? It is worth the risk.

Reprinted by permission from Staying True in a World of Lies, copyright 2002 by Julie-Allyson Ieron. All rights reserved. For ordering information write to joymediaorders@aol.com. You may view Julie’s Web site at joymediaservices.com.

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