Integrity

I have been hearing a lot about integrity lately. To me, integrity means matching your walk with your talk. Often times people express their values, but their actions do not match those values.

Politicians do this all the time. For instance, we once had a candidate for governor who actively sought help for the poor. This is a fine value and one which most people can support. Her tax return revealed, however, that she gave very little to charities. In fact, she gave less than 0.3% of her rather high income to charities.

I used to see a lit of bumper stickers with a peace symbol. These same people were often cutting people off in traffic and making obscene gestures, hardly promoting peace.

I faced a question of integrity last week. I promised my grandson that I would go outside and play catch with him. Unfortunately, I got ill and couldn’t follow through. However, when I saw him a couple days later, I remembered my promise and played catch with him. He was happy.

However, I have learned that I very often fail to match my walk to my talk. When I talk I express high and lofty ideals that I just don’t measure up to. How can I begin to walk in integrity? First I need to admit my weaknesses. Then I have to ask God for help and follow where he leads me. Psalm 26:1 says, “Vindicate me , O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.”