Part of my sermon Sunday was on being Authenticity-Minded. That brought in the subject of the title:
INTEGRITY
When I was studying I ran across a couple of quotes which said volumes to me and, of course, used:
Honesty and transparency make you vulnerable. Be honest and transparent anyway. Mother Teresa
Another one came across loud and clear:
Integrity doesn’t come in degrees: low, medium, or high. You either have integrity or you don’t. Tony Dungy
It is never easy being real. Or honest. Or vulnerable. Or a person of integrity. Tragically we live in a world where people are more shocked by a display of integrity than the lack of it. More and more people are surprised when someone does something right or out of the ordinary to set things right than when someone fails.
Authenticity involves our integrity. Practicing integrity means our behavior matches our beliefs. But keep this in mind: personal integrity is not the same thing as your reputation. Your reputation is who other people think you are. Your integrity (or lack of it) is who you really are.
Craig Groeschel wrote a book called Alter Ego. In it he tells a story of when his golf coach caught him stealing a golf ball from a miniature golf course and kicked him off the team. He said, “If you’ll steal a golf ball, you’ll steal other things.” After some pleading on Craig’s part, the coach took him outside to talk and said words Craig says he will never forget:
If you have integrity, that’s all that matters. And if you don’t have integrity, well…that’s really all that matters.
Wise, wise words. And in my mind, that about sums it up. Any thoughts?
Hi Bill! I really liked your thought: “More and more people are surprised when someone does something right or out of the ordinary to set things right than when someone fails.” Man, is that true!
Honesty is definitely a challenge for people. I think of cars or trucks that overturn, and people rush them to see what they can carry away. Really? Integrity may cost you, but do you really want to pay later? Or hurt someone in the short term?
I bet your message caused a lot of discussion.
Blessings,
Ceil
Well I had several comments about the sermon Ceil…all good btw! 🙂 You are right about it costing but the payback later if we don’t have integrity is not good.
The consequences of doing what is right are easy to live with. In business and in life all you have is your reputation.
100% agree Jeff.
The road of integrity is narrow and easy to slip off of in rainy season. Those storm clouds makes one want to hide instead of standing out in the open for all to see us in our drenched condition.
( a thought that came into my head as I read your post which is spot on brother. )
I’ve followed Tony Dungy’s career for awhile and find him to be such a man of integrity. It’s inspiring to see someone who maintains his integrity even while successful in the world’s eyes. I’m sure your sermon was a good one, Bill!
Ah … to find men and women of integrity, authenticity, and truth seems to be a harder task than ever.
Maybe the takeaway is not to be looking at everyone else, but instead be living a Psalm 51 lifestyle, asking God to prompt us to look at our own souls instead of judging everyone else’s.
Thanks for the food for thought, Bill.
Fantastic quotes here, Bill, and ones we should all take to heart. Integrity, like character, are the things you do when no one is watching – you do them because they are right in God’s eyes. Yes, it may make us vulnerable in the eyes of others, but we shouldn’t care about that now, should we?
Blessings!