Integrity

Integrity

The events in our world in recent days have brought me to a place of thinking, "why do people act like they do, say what they say, and basically have very little concern for anyone but themselves.  Those thoughts led me to begin thinking about Integrity and what it means in our world today.

What words come to your mind when you hear the word: Integrity?

Words that are often used to define Integrity include: Honesty, Faithfulness, Sincerity, Truth, and Honor.

So how does one become a person of Integrity?

For me it begins with coming to an understanding of who you are as a person and what values are important in your life.  How do you decide those values?

One must reconcile their values with what is important to them, what brings value to their life, and how they practice those values in their own life.

People develop those values with many different influences in their lives. Values may be based on their family traditions, spiritual truths, moral issues, political issues, society influences, and discovering who they are and what purpose they have in life.

I believe true Integrity comes from inside a person to their daily actions in their life journey.

C.S. Lewis defined integrity,

“Doing the right thing even when no one is watching”

Another definition I think defines integrity for me is:

       “Deciding to integrate my values into my daily actions”

For me being a person of integrity means:

      “You can count on me, I will keep my word and I will be true.”

Another way of saying that is:

      “I’m not for sale at any price”.

So how do we practice integrity in our lives?  The key points for me are:

• Not to be easily influenced by others.  You will not recant your principles based on what someone else tries to get you to do.
• Not to comprise your convictions even if it means being left out of a group.
• Not willing to compromise your consistent character even if circumstances would make it easy and the potential for gain is great

INTEGRITY DEFICIT DISORDER

I believe that in our society we suffer an integrity deficit disorder.  I believe this comes from creating an environment of influencing people to think outside in instead of inside out.

The world in which we live places so much attention on being popular, glamorous, being cool, plotting to get what you want, and power plays at any cost creates “outside” thinking.

So why do we wonder where the sense of entitlement comes from in our society?  Consistently focusing on what is outside for material possession and success does not lead to becoming a person of integrity.  It leads to being a person who will play any game or do whatever it takes to get what they perceive to be successful.

It leads a person to be unpredictable, making decisions depending on the day of the week, the way they feel, or who ever they talked to last and what others want them to do which they perceive will get them ahead or be popular.

How do we over come this disorder?  Each person has a personal responsibility to become a person of integrity and encourage other people to do the same.

Proverbs 10:9 “People with integrity walk safely but those who follow crooked paths will slip and fall”.  The words of wisdom from Proverbs remind us why it is important to know who you are, determine your principles for your life and then practice them.

My goal for life is live consistently with my principles or in other words,

“I’m the same everywhere either public or private and my word is my bond.”

A person of Integrity would be one who practices what they believe, speak honestly, speak with love and show kindness.

Ponder on these thoughts and find encouragement to continue to be a person of integrity!

Pondering:  What I was taught growing up…..

When you are in conversation with people and you express your beliefs about the issues of today and they ask, “Why you believe that?” what is your reply?

For most people it usually begins with “because that is what I was taught growing up.”

Does that always make it right?  Most people never question what was taught by a well intentioned person who at the time thought what they were saying was the truth.

Often these were taught from generation to generation without anyone ever really testing the theories or even questioning the possibility of something being different.

It reminds me of the story of the new bride who was preparing a roast for dinner.  She took the roast and cut a portion of the end off and discarded it.  Her husband asked why she cut the end off before cooking.  She replied because “because that is what my mother does”.   He thought that was a little weird but being the wise husband he did not question his wife.   A few weeks later they were having dinner with her parents and her mom served roast for dinner.  He decided to ask her mom why she cut off the end of the roast.

She replied, “Because that is what my mom always did”.   A few months later, they were visiting her grandmother and his curiosity had gotten the best of him about the roast.  He decided to ask her grandmother and to his amazement she replied, “Oh, because I only had one size pan and the roast would not fit in it when it that was big”.

For two generations a part of a roast had been discarded without even questioning why grandmother cut the roast.  Just imagine how much good meat could have been consumed if only one word had been asked, “Why”.

How many times have you asked, “Why” when thinking about what your beliefs?   The following are several reasons people tend to never ask “Why”:

• It is easier to just accept beliefs than to research
• It would seem disloyal to question their elders
• It is what my church taught so it must be true
• It is the way it has always been
• It would scary to know that you have believed something that might not be true

There are many reasons to ask yourself “why” when you think of the beliefs and values you hold as an adult.  It may surprise you to know that some of them are incorrect, was never true, or miss-interpreted by some other well meaning person.

Do you find it hard to be inclusive in your acceptance of others and their beliefs?  I suggest that might be a starting point for you to begin to ask “why” do I feel this way and how did I arrive here.  This may take you on a journey you have never traveled, but it is one you owe your self to discover who you are and why you believe what you do. 

And who knows, you might even discover some new things along the way that would even make your life better!