Having integrity doesn’t simply mean telling the truth – although that’s part of it. The word integrity comes from the Latin word, integer, and it means whole. To be whole, means that your thoughts, words and actions all line up.

Your life and character rings true when you choose integrity – and it was God’s original plan for you to experience this wholeness all the time. However, in the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve chose not to believe God, trust was broken, and the world instantly became broken. When your thoughts, words and actions are not in alignment, you are experiencing this brokenness – and this happens when we, like Adam and Eve, don’t believe God.

Yes, we might nod along consciously saying we believe God, but cognitive neuroscience has been discovering that the unconscious mind is remarkably powerful and drives behaviour. So, even though you may say you believe certain things – if you unconscious mind is not convinced – you won’t experience the wholeness God intends for you.

Another word for wholeness is authenticity.

The good news is, authenticity is a practice. Sociologist Brene Brown writes, “Authenticity is not something we have or don’t have. It’s a practice – a conscious choice of how we want to live. Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day. It’s about the choice to show up and be real. The choice to be honest. The choice to let our true selves be seen. In any given moment, the question to ask is, am I being authentic? Are my thoughts, words and actions in alignment?”

If you are a Christian, your “true self” is your new self. Therefore, in any given moment, when you are choosing to be authentic (integrity/wholeness), you are literally choosing to “put on the new self” like Paul instructs in Ephesians 4:22-24 where he says, “to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

Your true self is completely new. In fact, Colossians 3:3 says, “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” When your words, actions and thoughts reflect your new identity, you are living with integrity.

What does this look like?
Love.

1 Corinthians 13 says, “love is patient, kind, it does not envy and is not boastful, it is not proud, doesn’t dishonour others, is not self-seeking or easily angered. Love doesn’t hold grudges … and it always protects, trusts, hopes and perseveres.” God is love, this is the character of Christ, and it is the true identity that has been given to you. You live with integrity when your words, actions and thoughts align with this truth about who you are.

This way of life doesn’t come by trying hard on your own strength – this tends to lead to exhaustion and burn out. Instead, it comes by confessing the moments and choices that are inauthentic – and choosing to realign in thought, action and word. This way of life is the Spirit-Empowered life and it doesn’t begin with your power – it begins by surrendering yours to receive His. This is how we walk in grace and allow the goodness of the Gospel to usher integrity into our hearts, relationships, families, and communities.

One way for you to create conditions for God’s Spirit to work in your life is to name your values, in alignment with your new nature.

You may choose to value patience, kindness, humility, service, forgiveness, trust, hope and perseverance, because these are core to who you are in Christ.  By taking time every few months to assess whether your time, money, thoughts, words and actions reflect your values, you can make changes to experience more peace.

Peace was the anthem in the Garden of Eden. Humans were whole. Since Adam and Eve’s big break, your wholeness has been restored – this is the Greatest News there ever was – your integrity is intact.

When you live a value-driven life – and your values are rooted in your Christ-identity – you walk towards the wholeness that has already been freely give.

So Walk.

“You show what you value by your behaviour. How do you let your values guide your decisions, your life, the way that you spend your time and the way that you behave in the world? It’s a powerful thing to stop every now and again and assess whether or not your life is reflective of the values you would choose to live your life by. That alignment makes us powerful people and strong in faith.”

 

– Kaitlyn Cey