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The Right Thing to Do

by Stenoy (Steve) Stephonson

 
As we were driving home from work and school, my son Josh began to talk about the book he is reading, 'Anne Frank the Diary of A Young Girl' edited by Otto H. Frank and Mirjam Pressler. He was fascinated by the courage of Miep Gies. I am sure you know the book and the story. But for the 14yr old, Miep Gies' courage to keep a secret even when she had the gun to her head was beyond comprehension. Josh's brother got involved in the conversation and I was just the driver listening in on the conversation. Soon the praise and admiration of Miep Gies for courageously saving and hiding Anne Frank and her family turned to a theological debate about right and wrong; was it lawful to do what she did? Just when I thought the debate between the brothers was getting interesting and a bit heated, their little sister (7yr old) intervened and said, "didn't you guys hear what Miep Gies said in the movie 'The Freedom Writers'? She said she did what she did because that was the right thing to do."

Every year on 4 August, Miep and Jan Gies commemorated the loss of their friends. Miep said. "In that dark time of the war, we did not stand on the sidelines, but extended our hands to help others. Risking our own lives because it was the right thing to do. We could not have done more."

When we know what the right thing is, we need to get on and do it, precisely because it's the right thing, not for any other reason. Doing the right thing feels hard sometimes mainly because we've become used to justifying our actions in tenuous and selfish ways to suit our agenda. Immanuel Kant said, "do the right thing because it is right." My Dad taught me, standing up for what you believe is right is often not the easy path, but it is important. You are never wrong for doing the right thing. But doing the right thing often takes great courage and integrity.

• God is always able to find people who are willing to do the right thing. Whenever you know what is right, you must also know the courage that it demands.
• Just because you haven't done the right thing in the past doesn't mean that God can't use you to do the right thing now.
• Doing the right thing (at times) can have very dangerous consequences. "Courage and integrity are important in all walks of life, but in professional services they are indispensable" (Tim  Ryan, 2016)
• The only way to do the right thing is to follow God's instructions.

Mark Twain, an American writer, lecturer, humourist said, "Always do what is right. It will gratify half of mankind and astound the other". Jesus always did the right thing even if it was not always the 'done' thing. How about us? Jesus exhibits crucial leadership qualities - courage and integrity.

The Right Thing to Do

"On some positions, Cowardice asks the question, "is it safe?". Expediency asks the question, "is it politic?". And Vanity comes along and ask the question, "is it popular?", but Conscience asks the question, "is it right?". And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but must do it because Conscience tells you it is right." Martin Luther King Jr. "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up" Galatians 6:9

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