The Cost of Breaking the Rules
A Meditation by Rev. Cameron Trimble
“Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever follows perverse ways will be found out.” — Proverbs 10:9 (NRSV)
There was a day in my early flight training I will never forget. I was preparing for my first biennial flight review—a rite of passage for every pilot. I had trained for months, studied every emergency procedure, memorized the flight manual and checklist until I could recite it in my sleep. By that point, I had logged a couple hundred hours in the air. I wasn’t seasoned, but I wasn’t new anymore. Confident enough to feel like I knew what I was doing. Experienced enough to be tempted.
That morning, as I stood on the tarmac beside the aircraft, I glanced at the checklist in my hand and thought, “I know this. I don’t need to go through every step today.” It was a quiet impulse, subtle enough to ignore. But then my instructor, watching me, said gently, “The person you are as a pilot is not only revealed in crisis. It’s revealed in your day-to-day discipline. Good pilots don’t cut corners or break the rules.”
I still feel the heat of shame that rose in me, not because I had done something wrong (yet), but because he had seen the exact place where I was tempted to compromise. And he spoke to it—not with punishment, but with clarity. He was teaching me that integrity is not the avoidance of failure, but the refusal to betray yourself. Not performance, but commitment. Not perfection, but faithfulness.
I’ve thought about that moment often in these past years, especially as we witness a world where integrity seems more rare than ever. Political leaders lie without consequence. Billionaires plunder the planet while calling themselves visionaries. Systems built on injustice seem immune to accountability. Rule-breaking is no longer hidden—it’s flaunted. The rules, it seems, only apply to the rest of us.
We are watching a kind of moral erosion unfold in real time. What’s even more disturbing is how numb we’ve become to it. The lies no longer shock us. The cruelty no longer surprises us. The exploitation of people and planet is so normalized that we scroll past it. What allows these leaders to get away with so much is not just the concentration of power—it’s the slow collapse of our collective moral imagination. It’s the voice in each of us that whispers, “It’s just how the world works now.” And so we stop expecting better. We stop holding lines. We start cutting corners.
That’s why integrity matters more now than ever, not as a rigid moral code, but as a living commitment to not participate in the unraveling of our shared humanity. Integrity is the daily decision to act as though your choices carry weight…because they do. It’s knowing that how you show up—at work, in your home, in your community—has ripple effects far beyond what you can see.
No one will applaud you for checking the invisible boxes. No headlines will be written about the fact that you told the truth, or honored your word, or refused to participate in harm. But in the spiritual field of things—in the sacred architecture of a just and loving world—your faithfulness matters. Deeply.
There will be days when it would be easier to look away, to comply, to stay silent. But if we want to live in a world where integrity still matters, we must become people who practice it. Even when no one is watching. Especially then.
We are in this together,
Cameron
Reflection Questions
When have you felt tempted to bend your values?
What “lines” do you quietly hold that help you stay aligned with your integrity?
Where in your life might you be called to recommit to integrity—not out of guilt, but as a form of love?
A Prayer for the Day
Rooted in the Quiet
Spirit of all truth, Anchor me in the quiet integrity That resists the tide of convenience. When I am tempted to cut corners, Whisper me back to alignment. When I feel unseen or uncelebrated, Remind me that the sacred sees. Let me be faithful in small things— Invisible things— Because they shape the world I long to help create. Make me whole in the hidden places. Amen.
Spiritual Practice
Reclaiming Your Invisible Faithfulness
Today, pause and reflect on the choices you make that no one notices—your quiet faithfulness. Set a timer for 15 minutes. In stillness, ask yourself:
What are the acts of integrity I’ve practiced without recognition?
Write them down. Let yourself see and honor them. These small acts—refusing gossip, picking up trash, returning the extra change, speaking up even when your voice shakes—are sacred. They are the stitching in the fabric of the world.
Then ask: Is there any place in my life where I’ve gone quiet, where I’ve compromised?
Gently, without shame, make a commitment to begin again. You do not need to be perfect. You only need to be aligned.
Upcoming Events That Might Be of Interest…
September 4, 5:30pm ET - I will be collaborating with the Anderson Forum for Progressive Theology to host a conversation with Thomas Jay Oord on Open and Relational theology. It’s a FREE event. Register here.
October 15-18, 2025 - Converging 2025: Sing Truth Conference (all musicians invited!) at Northwest Christian Church in Columbus, OH. Register here!
October 23, 30, November 13, 20 2025, 7pm ET - In Search of a New Story: Reimagining What Comes Next, A 4-Part Online Series with Dr. Matthew Fox, Cameron Trimble, Ilia Delio, Diana Butler Bass, Caroline Myss and other Special Guests. We are living through the unraveling of many old stories—about who we are, why we’re here, and how we are meant to live together on this Earth. As these inherited narratives collapse under the weight of climate crisis, social fragmentation, and spiritual disconnection, the question becomes clear: What story will guide us now? REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!
I drafted a Strategic Framework for Congregations as we move into the coming years of increased authoritarianism around the world. If interested, you can download it here.
If you are a leader or member of a congregation looking for consulting support in visioning, planning, hiring or staffing, please consider Convergence.
This brings to my mind two different encouragements. One is Paul's letters in 1 and 2 Timothy. Constantly one of the themes there is the integrity of steadfastness. He is addressing one of the first known multi-generational Christians.
Second are the words of the Nazi critic Rev. Martin Niemoller. This is often quoted and bears repeating: "First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists. And I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews. And I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak for me."
Of interest is how our Prime Minister here in Canada sees tariffs not as a weapon to be wielded but a tool to be used very sparingly. We in the Canadian churches continue our prayers for you our sisters and brothers. Rev. Scott Brown, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
YES!
"But in the spiritual field of things—in the sacred architecture of a just and loving world—your faithfulness matters. Deeply.
There will be days when it would be easier to look away, to comply, to stay silent. But if we want to live in a world where integrity still matters, we must become people who practice it. Even when no one is watching. Especially then."