The Splendor of Christian Integrity

“Out West there was a sheep farmer whose farm was right next to a cattle ranch, and the rancher’s dogs kept coming onto his land and killing his sheep, one or two a month. Several times the sheep farmer respectfully asked his neighbor to keep his dogs under control, and the rancher always promised to do so, but the problem persisted. What was the sheep farmer to do? One option was to hire a lawyer, file a lawsuit, and take his neighbor to court; however, that would create bad blood, and might prove to be very expensive. A second option was to build a higher and stronger fence, so that the rancher’s dogs couldn’t get in; however, that would be expensive, and would involve a lot of work. The sheep farmer came up with a third option. He gave two lambs to his neighbor’s children as pets. The children quickly fell in love with them, and naturally influenced their parents. As the lambs grew, they became like part of the rancher’s family, and he and his wife began to look upon sheep not as nameless members of a vast herd, but as individual creatures of God, worthy of respect—and as soon as they reached that understanding, they took the situation more seriously and penned their dogs, and then there were no more problems.” (William Bausch, More Telling Stories, Compelling Stories)

This fascinating story illustrates how integrity can work in troubling situations. The farmer illustrates Psalm 1:1-3 “Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked or take the path that sinners tread or sit in the seat of scoffers; but their delight is in the law of the Lord and on his law they meditate day and night. They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper.” The farmer prospered because he chose the best option.

Integrity comes from the same Latin root as integer and implies whole. Anyone, no matter what their station, religion, or no religion, can practice integrity. Christian integrity brings Jesus into the milieu. Teresa of Avila tells us to keep our eyes on Jesus as she encourages us, “God continues to look at us lovingly, searching for room in our hearts throughout the day. Knowing this, how can we not turn our attention to God? I’m not asking you to do anything more than look at Him.” She goes straight to the heart of the matter regarding our responsibility: “Christ has no body but yours, no hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes with which he looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good, Yours are the hands with which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now but yours, no hands, no feet on earth but yours.”

Christian integrity is the ability to cognitively see situations clearly and choose the best and highest essentials of Christianity when a situation or solution is necessary. Believing that God is good, and that he is walking with us, gets us through many problems. Practical experience and knowledge together with Christian essentials sustain and benefit Christian growth.

Christian growth is not possible without holiness. Holiness is the linchpin of being a Christian and the way we strive for sanctity of our soul. Holiness is wholeness. A Christian person who is whole is undivided, lives rightly and has a viable Christ centered identity. He or she helps to decrease major factors that contribute to evil in society, such as violence, greed, division, lies and fakery. Many people drift from one superficial distraction to another, like rudderless boats. As Christians, with Jesus as our navigator, our rudders will steer us in the right direction to the heavenly shore. If we truly live integrity, it is not doing whatever we want when we want, but rather standing up for what we believe and being what we were meant to be.

Christian integrity is essential to a person’s spiritual health, personal development and family priorities. Christian faith in the heart leads to truth on the tongue and temperance in the body. In today’s society truth and temperance are not common. However, as Christians, we prove what we believe by how we live. Faith releases the light of hope and the power of love into society. It strengthens the ability to say no to things that lead to sin, or reduce the quality of who we are meant to be. It is imperative to remain true to the Christian tradition. If Christian integrity is seen on a spectrum from low to high, the higher we are, the better Christians we will be. Individuals moving forward on this spectrum is something society desperately needs.     

Two basic counterparts

Challenges in life are personal and social. What we decide and what we do, be it good or evil, affects us and society. Being responsive to the grace of God moves us from our own small world to a large healthy Christian world view. As we experience the unexplainable love of God, we become more compassionate toward the dignity of human persons and organizations. In social interactions we learn how to put up with people’s faults, and to not be surprised by their weaknesses.

Morals and ethics are extremely important. Morals are important because they concern us. It is said that we cannot give what we do not have. God bestowed dignity upon us and it is up to us to live it. Our morals are evident in how we behave, speak, act and how we do what we do. Tenacity, kindness and other good qualities come from our positive response to grace, personal principles, and what we believe to be right or wrong. Sound morals are beautiful elements that positively impress others, especially when our spiritual tenets guide our decisions. We remember the motto of the Christophers: It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.

Christian morals guide us to avoid what can trivialize our soul. So many things, even sacred things, can be down sized so they fit into current trends. Things that had deep meaning are more casual. The beautiful words in the Episcopalian wedding. “To thee I pledge my troth,” means to be true to one’s spouse. Yet, how seriously is being true to ourselves, spouses, and others taken these days? Being a Christian today is not easy due to the negative trends and useless distractions so influential in society. We need to be true to those dear to us, to what we believe, and to what we stand for. In order to follow Jesus we walk in his footsteps which includes Calvary. Many trials will be ours to face. With prayer and God’s help we can face them. Mary Stuart keeps us on the right road, “Keep us O Lord from pettiness, let us be large in thought, in word and deed, Let us be done with fault finding and leave off self seeking. May we put away all pretense and meet each other face to face, without self pity and without prejudice. May we never be hasty in judgment and always generous. Teach us to put into action our better impulses, straight forward and unafraid. Let us take time for all things; make us grow calm, serene, and gentle. Grant that we may realize that it is the little things that create differences; that in the big things of life we are one. And may we strive to touch and know the great human heart common to us all, and O Lord God, Let us not forget to be kind.”

We may be inspired or disheartened by the ethics in social groups. Ethics, or lack thereof, can make or break a society. Ethics are in systems such as social, economic, political and religious in which we associate or participate. Ethics are present in rules followed in professional organizations such as law, medicine, business or other corporations. Christian leaders can infuse their values into the groups to which they belong Christian morals and ethics invite and remind us of what and who we truly are as followers of Jesus. We stand tall when we remember we are sons and daughters of God. We are most truly ourselves when what is tall in us takes over and gives to others.

As Christians, good decisions should be based on what we value. Values concern those things we consider most important and worthwhile that support human dignity. The most basic value is life itself, from the unborn child to the very vulnerable, to those who are close to death. Threats that harm human life at its most vulnerable points can creep in and increase in popular thinking, therefore becoming normal. This is evident in abortion and physician assisted suicide. Technological and scientific progress must be matched with sound Christian moral and ethical formation. We have a responsibility to follow God’s law rather than whatever is popular today. Freedom must be used rightly, because it can be used to achieve good or evil. We trust in Jesus and desire to guide others to him. Jesus teaches us how to live. We look to Jesus as our strength, example, guide and source of spiritual sustenance. Today it is not easy to be loving, generous, hospitable or brave. However, at our deepest center we strive to make the highest level of Christianity real. Being spiritually, morally, and ethically strong graces us to be examples of God‘s love and mercy. This invites us to do the best that lies within us and lets God’s beauty and goodness shine through us.