Integrity

Often the worst mistake isn't the initial failure; it is the lack humility and the lack of compassion in the way we respond to our failures being brought to our attention...

The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them. - Proverbs 11:3

Sometimes in the Christian world we mistake the word integrity to mean that we live without making mistakes. That somehow integrity means we always get it right. But that’s not true. Nobody gets it right all the time. Only Jesus can do that. Therefore, if being a person of integrity does not mean that we never make mistakes – what does it mean?

First, let it be clearly stated that we desperately need men and women of integrity. People instinctively need and look for someone they can trust. Someone they can believe in. Someone they can follow. Of course, Jesus is ultimately The One whom this world needs to look to. However, it is God's divine design that the world come to know Jesus through those of us who are the blood-bought members of The Church. The reality is that when this world first looks for a glimpse of God; they look to those of us who bear His name. To this, I say it again: we desperately need men and women of integrity to rise up. We need people of integrity to live boldly and brightly in front of a dark and deceitful world. We need Christians whose lives are worthy of representing the Savior who shed His blood and died that we might have life.

This is the charge; this is the command: Live with integrity. What does it mean? To live with integrity means to be honest. To live with integrity means to be humble. To live with integrity means striving to be who God created us to be. To live with integrity means to earnestly strive for perfection, to be like Christ, while simultaneously acknowledging that we have not reached the very thing we are striving for.

Integrity does not equal perfection. It never will. We have to be honest about the fact that we all fail and we all get it wrong sometimes. We must have enough integrity to acknowledge it when it happens. We must have enough integrity to acknowledge that we miss the mark sometimes. Even the best of people fail and make mistakes. It's alright. Just own it. You'll find that if you'll be honest about your mistakes, ask for forgiveness, and make a real effort to correct the situation, that most people really are forgiving. Often the worst mistake isn't the initial failure; it is the lack humility and the lack of compassion in the way we respond to our failures being brought to our attention. If you fail, no... when you fail, own your mistakes. Ask for forgiveness. Repent sincerely with your whole heart and mind. Fix what you can. Get up, dust yourself off and follow Jesus. That's integrity.

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