Living on the edge! Risk-taking! Rush! We
certainly live in a world where thrill-seeking has become the new Olympic-sized
sport. It is almost as if the brain gets stuck in high gear and nothing at
normal pace ever feels normal.
I am a very different type of person. I like
not falling off cliffs. I like staying in the middle of the road. I don’t like
the possibility of pain. I think pain is God’s way of saying, “Cut that out!” It
is a warning system that keeps us from hurting ourselves. I don’t believe the
saying, “No pain, no gain.” But then again, I am a little odd. I like walking
on steady grown.
When we lack integrity we walk on uncertain
ground every day. Walking without integrity is like walking around in an abandoned,
unfamiliar building at night. You never know when the floor is going to give
out. Will this step be the one that gives out? Will I be caught this time?
I love to see people slow down below the
speed limit when they see a highway patrol on the interstate. We are allowed to
go the speed limit! They slow down because of their guilt. They hope they weren’t
caught.
But the person who is consistent in every
area of their life doesn’t have to worry about their day to day decisions. He
knows what to expect and how to react. He has been on that path before. He won’t
be caught doing something that doesn’t fit with his internal character.
Someone who lacks integrity is often called
two-faced. You see different actions in different circumstances. You never know
exactly who is going to show up and any given moment. In fact, often, they don’t
know who will show up either. They live in fear of being discovered.
Someone with integrity has thought through
what they will do and why. They have put the pieces of life together into an
integrated whole. They are not like Swiss cheese. There are no potholes just
around the corner.
Unfortunately, none of us has complete
integrity. We all have some holes in our lives, places that we don’t want other
people looking into. But the more we walk according to God’s Word, the more
integrity we will have.
So when you notice those holes in your life,
fill them with God’s Word. Allow Him to bridge the gap in your integrity.