Having Integrity

“Living a life of integrity requires us to be true to God, to each other, and to our divine identity.” Elder Jack N. Gerard made this statement in his address, “Integrity: A Christlike Attribute.”

There are two definitions to integrity when one searches online. They are:

1. The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.
2. The state of being whole and undivided.

Morality

What does it mean to have strong moral principles? What does it mean to have moral uprightness?

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have a guideline for moral principles, “We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men” (Articles of Faith 1:13). Six characteristics to build our moral principles on. If we look to improve in each of these areas, we will have integrity.

I try to be honest at all times. It is not easy. Some influences state honesty should be bent when the situation calls for it. I believe that we can be honest but we can be honest with compassion. With my children, it comes down to how to deliver that honesty. Am I a father who is honest but in an authoritarian way? Sometimes. Is that always the correct way to approach things? No. There are times when I have to deliver honesty empathetically. I have to take into account the feelings and mood of my child, and then determine the best way to deliver the message.

Being true means that I will stand up for my principles. It does NOT mean that I force those principles on others. I have a friend who has very different beliefs than mine. We have had several discussions about his beliefs. I’m still figuring out how to share mine. However, never once have I said anything along the lines of “That’s wrong and not how things are!” Even though I know my principles are true, doesn’t mean that others do, nor that I should call them out when they have a different set.

Being chaste is more than just avoiding inappropriate sexual thoughts and actions. It is treating one’s body with respect. It is also treating others with respect. I once was taught that we should look at everyone as God sees them. This is not easy, but the concept helps us to respect them and to respect ourselves.

Benevolence leads to humility. When I am benevolent, my arrogance and pride levels are low. That’s a good thing because I don’t see myself as better than others. When we give of our time, talents, and means, we experience the joy of service to our fellow beings and in turn are serving our God (see Mosiah 2:17).

Virtuous is to have high moral standards. It also means to keep them. The previous principles are those moral standards that prove our virtuousness.

Finally, doing good to all men. As I stated earlier, I was once taught to look at everyone as God sees them. God is the perfect Father. He loves His children and wants to bless them. Sometimes, He blesses them directly, and sometimes indirectly. Those indirect blessings come at the hands of His other children. Recently, my job had a day of service activity. I signed up to work a shift at Feed My Starving Children. This organization packs meals for starving people in various countries. I worked alongside six other people filling bags with rice, vegetables, soy, and vitamins and minerals. Knowing that these meals would not only help alleviate the feelings of hunger in individuals but also give them proper nourishment was super rewarding. After each shift, those who would like to participate are taken back to where pallets of boxes filled with bags of food are loaded onto trucks. Those who wish to participate, place a hand on a pallet and a volunteer offers a prayer over the pallet. There are people of all different faiths there. It was one of the most spiritual experiences of my life. You could feel God’s approval of the work we had done.

Being Whole and Undivided

The second definition of integrity is being whole and undivided. I believe this refers to us as both individuals and groups. As I have strengthened my moral principles, I feel more whole. My person isn’t distracted, or drawn in several different directions. I have more of a center and a closer connection to God.

As a group, being whole means we share a purpose. “Be one, and if ye are not one, ye are not mine” (Doctrine and Covenants 38:27, emphasis added). The Lord has told us to “be one”, meaning be whole and undivided. As members of His church, when we are whole and undivided, we are examples of “being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.”

I love our current Ward Sunday School President. He always tries to bring us all together as one. It doesn’t matter if he is interacting with adults or youth. He has the vision of helping us to become whole and undivided. Recently, he was sharing a lesson with the youth and brought with him enough “Pocket Jesus” for each class member. My daughter was in the lesson and came out telling us all about how she got one of these pocket Jesuses and how it could remind her to be like the Savior. She carried it around with her for the next week and still keeps one handy today. I’m grateful for this Sunday School president who is thinking about the individual and the group.

Conclusion

Having integrity means we are true to our moral principles and have moral uprightness. It also means to be whole and undivided. By living the principles of honesty, truth, chastity, benevolence, virtue, and doing good to others, we show our integrity. It also allows us to be whole and undivided as an individual. We can then add to the wholeness of being members in Christ’s church leading us to be an undivided group.