To Be Complete

You've heard it; I've heard it: we are supposed to be people of integrity. That's fine . but what does integrity mean? Chances are good that 'integrity' is Latin or some such, and its meaning doesn't appear to have changed much over time. "Integer" means a whole number. It's complete-not fractioned. Integrity, likewise, is completeness. I believe that we could say that a person of integrity is all of a part. They aren't divided. If I am a person of integrity, it means that my mouth is saying the same thing as my heart is saying. It means my desires and my actions are fully matched.

This is not quite what I've heard about integrity, and it may not be what you've heard, either. What I've heard tends to be along the line of "doing what you said you'd do, and saying what you'll do." Now, I do believe that is a result of integrity, but I don't believe that's what integrity is. That infers that a person of integrity will often be doing things that they hate and don't want to do, but they'll do it if it kills them, because they gave their word. The truth is that if a person of integrity hates doing something, they won't likely commit to it in the first place!

For instance, a person of integrity wouldn't say, "Sure, I'll go to your party," if inside, their heart was screaming, "I have such a full week, and I really need to go to bed early that night and get some good rest, and even if I didn't need to sleep, I still wouldn't want to go to your party!" Integrity means undivided, and I would be divided if I said "yes" to your invitation while my heart was screaming "no". Therefore, I do not have to worry overly much about forcing myself to keep my word ("yes, I'll go to your party") because I would have said "yes" with my mouth only if my heart was also saying "yes". And if both my heart and my mouth are saying "yes" it is not going to be a great effort for my body to go to your party.

There is good news and bad news about integrity. I believe that integrity pleases the Lord. He desires truth in the inner parts, and is not pleased with deceptive speech. He doesn't want to be worshiped in form, if our hearts are far from Him. The bad news is that the Lord is almost always the only one who is pleased with integrity. Nearly everyone else wants us to live to suit them. How many people do you know who would actually not mind hearing that you had no desire to attend their party? Would you be okay about hearing that from someone else?

There is opposition on every side-including from ourselves!-to wholeness. But keep in mind that a house divided against itself cannot stand.

Be whole. Go and possess your inheritance.

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