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Ever have an ethical conflict? A moral dilemma? A problem where what you believed to be ethically or morally the right thing to do would get you in trouble or put you in some kind of harm's way? That happened to me once at my previous job. Let's just say I may or may not have borrowed the keys to the 15-passenger and picked up a homeless woman who was stuck at a gas station at 11pm. I definitely got in trouble, and the lady had some crazy mental health issues as she screamed in my face multiple times during the ride because she was afraid someone she once knew was going to steal her money. Long story short, I helped her talk with someone to freeze her card that was on its way to her "no longer friend's" house.

I look back at that drive and wonder, if I knew that was going to happen, would I do it again? Not only did I get in trouble with my boss, but I got screamed at by a homeless lady as I was doing my best to help her out while I was off work in the middle of the night. Yes. Yes it was worth it and it will always be worth it. I knew the lady now, and she even goes to my church. She's a sweet little old lady who used to be a school teacher turned meth addict. She's off of meth and now with a good man who helps to keep her on the straight and narrow, and tries to do the same for himself!

If I never broke the rules to help her, who would have? And where would she be right now? This is why I would do it again. The feeling of regret is powerful. Don't miss out on doing something that you would regret, because it will haunt you. I did not sacrifice what I believed to be ethically right just for the sake of my job. In my heart, I was morally obligated to do what was right and was willing to accept the consequences. The new Social Service Director did not like what I did, but because I held on so tightly to my standards, she did not fault me for being a good person, even though I may or may not have broken four different rules in one night.

Moral of the story, never sacrifice what is ethically right. Do what is true, what is righteous, regardless of the consequences. Don't sacrifice a part of who you are.