The longer I live, the more I see and experience. Two words make my brain spin. They’re all about character.
The first word is honesty. Hopefully, you were taught at a young age to be honest. Lying is as natural as breathing. We learned to lie early in life. We think it will hide the truth and keep us out of trouble, but it doesn’t. Usually, we get into deeper trouble because of our dishonesty. It’s always better to tell the truth even if there are negative consequences.
Honesty pays positive dividends in the long run. Honesty is another word for truth-telling. Honesty reveals character. People trust you if they know that you are honest. Other honest people appreciate this human characteristic. Honesty is included in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:16). Do not tell lies about others (CEV).
The second word that I can’t get out of my mind is integrity. This word goes beyond honesty, which implies being truthful even when we are wrong. Integrity implies being dependable regardless of the circumstances.
A person of integrity is not only honest but also guided by deep-rooted principles. There is no wavering in his character. People know how a person of integrity will answer regardless of the surrounding events.
We were not born with an integrity gene; we developed that over time. Somewhere in our past, we realized honesty was the best policy. Later, when the winds of adversity blew in our face, we decided to stand on our moral principles regardless of the wind’s velocity. That’s when integrity became a foundational part of our lives. Then we realized some things are valuable to our world and, more importantly, to our Lord.
May you rightly decide to be a person of integrity above all else.
