Integrity

Needless to say, I had a lot of questions. I did some searching to hopefully break down the concept of integrity and to see if I could answer some of my questions. I found that there are three pillars of integrity that I would like to talk about today; What we do, What we say, What we say we do. 

Before I dive in, I encourage you to read this quote and reflect throughout this devotion what it means to you:

“ One of the truest tests of integrity is the blunt refusal to be compromised.” - Chinua Achebe

The first pillar of integrity talks about what we do and ultimately it is asking, what do your actions say about your integrity? Proverbs 4:25-27 says, “Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.” This verse can be a response to the quote. “The blunt refusal to be compromised” to not turn to the left or the right, but keeping your gaze directly forward. Naturally I asked myself, how does one do that? So, I reflected back to the times I could pinpoint where I did compromise my own integrity, the values that I had set before me. Some were small things and others were big things. When I was thinking about the question, what do my actions say about my integrity? I thought about what someone else told me a few years ago, where you spend your time will reveal to you what you value. Were my actions saying that I valued integrity or comfort? I know the right answer for my question, but was it the true answer? Sometimes the true answer is harder to come face to face with than just knowing the right answer and fixing it. 

The second pillar is what we say. What do your words say about integrity? James 1:26-27 says, “Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this; to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” In verse 26, James gets specific about what it means to obey this freedom-giving law. James insists that we reveal the character of our religion. Most Christians avoid that word. In the modern world, the word "religion" tends to be associated with keeping rituals or rules in hopes of earning some divine favor. Those who are saved by faith in Christ understand that they have already received God's favor. We seek to use His power in us to live as Jesus would, to make good choices in response to the grace He has already given to us. In other words, while Christians tend to recoil at the modern meaning of the term "religion," we certainly embrace the concept James is speaking of in these verses. In verse 27, I got to be honest, I was lost. I did not know what James was talking about or why he chose orphans and widows. James is describing something for us, and in so doing is not being prescriptive, but descriptive. Orphans and widows—the fatherless and the husbandless—easily represented two of the most marginalized and pushed-aside classes of people in James’ culture. They carried no legacy and contributed nothing to society, so society pushed them away. James is using them as representatives of the most vulnerable groups of people we can come in contact with. In a sense, he’s suggesting that we become the kind of people who move towards, give intense attention to and visit those in our world who have been outcast, marginalized and pushed aside the most. And when we do—when we step towards the hard and broken, and not away—it puts the heart of God demonstrated in the gospel on display with a purity and cleanliness unlike anything else. As Christians, we are held to a higher standard because we know the grace that God has given us and his heart to make disciples to further the Kingdom of God. So why is it important to reflect on what we say? To protect others? To make ourselves look better? What happens when you are alone? What happens when no one can hear your thoughts? These are the questions I find myself asking to practice breaking my habits when I notice myself starting to compromise. It all starts with what I say and then I do. 

The last pillar is what we say we do. What do your words about your actions say about your integrity? This pillar is the one that hits closest to home, for me. Matthew 6:16-18 says, “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” We live in a culture filled with highlight reels. People turn to their phones to post all their good deeds and good acts or accomplishments for others to see. One thing that I am personally guilty of. It might not always result in a Facebook or Instagram post, but instead the words that I say to those around me. I find myself doing it most when I need the approval of others instead of the Lord’s. I know that sounds backwards, but in all honesty, I do it more than I am proud to admit. Why is it so important to me to tell others all the good things that I am proud of when in my head there are 10 times more things that I am not proud of. The question that I will leave you with here today to reflect on is, What would your life look like if the inside became the outside?