in-ˈte-grə-tē

in•teg•ri•ty
noun \in-ˈte-grə-tē\
: the quality of being honest and fair
: the state of being complete or whole
Full Definition of INTEGRITY
1:  firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values :  incorruptibility
2:  an unimpaired condition :  soundness
3:  the quality or state of being complete or undivided : completeness

I have some questions about integrity that have been occupying brain space for a few years now. I feel like we apply broad brushstrokes to integrity and use it toward large concepts but keep it out of the details of day to day life. This feeling, these questions, I have come after entering back into the workforce and observing people as employees.

For example (and to be sure there are others), I have watched, and heard, employees make plans to call in sick so they could do something else like go on a trip or have a day off.  They would go through these elaborate steps to make it seem as if they were getting sick so when they called in to their boss it seemed plausible.  This really began to bother me.  It speaks of several things I think but the one thing that kept coming back to me about it was the lack of integrity.

Now, I'm not throwing stones.  I am positive I have done some things that were empty of any integrity.  And because I can admit that about myself I have no judgment toward people I witness doing things that have no integrity attached to them.  I have no judgment but I do have questions for us to think through together.  

What is integrity? 
According to Webster's (definition above) integrity includes qualities of honesty and fairness.  It speaks of adhering to the rules even when we don't necessarily agree with them.  When we operate with integrity it appears that we aren't divided between the angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other both whispering in our ears.  When we are divided we will inevitably choose the devil on our shoulder over the angel and as we are we know it's wrong but we can't help it.  We can't help it because we have allowed our flesh to speak louder than the Spirit.

How do we pursue it? 
Integrity is a moment by moment, day by day choice.  Throughout our days we will have many opportunities to chose between a right direction and a wrong direction. The direction we chose indicates if we are pursuing integrity in our lives or not.

What does it look like in day to day life?
Integrity has the features of trust built in to it.  Do we trust God enough that when we make the, and it is oftentimes the harder, right choice he will honor it?   Do we trust that the harder choice, which is most often the right one, will have God in the details and it will go well for us?
Integrity has the features of honesty built in to it.  When we make the choice to be honest with someone about something integrity prompts us to speak in a forthright way and with love.  Integrity doesn't hold back the truth because it cares more about the person in the big picture than it does about the small picture which is so limited.  We also practice honesty in our own life, not trying to skirt around truth or cover up anything that needs to be exposed in our own life.
Integrity has the features of authenticity built in to it.  A person pursuing integrity knows that what they do when nobody is watching is just as important, actually more so, as what they are doing when people can see them.  A person pursuing integrity is one who is consistent in their behaviors and attitudes in public or in private.    

How does it apply to all areas of life? 
There isn't an area of life where integrity isn't applicable.  How we interact in relationships - friendships, co-workers, significant others, parenting, anyone who falls into your sphere of influence throughout your days (teachers, cashiers, etc) - integrity applies.  How we perform our job - integrity applies.  How we handle our finances - integrity applies.  If people see us lacking integrity in one area of our life they will wonder if we act with integrity in any area.

And perhaps the most important question of all...
If and when I don't stand up for integrity what does that say about mine?
This is the question that stops me in my tracks.  When I fail to act with integrity by standing up for it then the message I send out is that I, also, don't think integrity is valuable.  I will act with integrity and stand up for integrity only when I know and recognize the value of it.  What kind of price am I putting on it?  Do I recognize how priceless integrity is?  Do I believe that making the right choice pays off in the end, maybe not in the short-term but in the long-term for sure?  Do I trust that God will honor my decision to behave with integrity even when it's really hard and may be inconvenient or uncomfortable?

I can't force anyone but myself to act with integrity.  I can stand up for it, I can encourage the people in my life to pursue it, I can make choices that show I am pursuing integrity but I can't force it on anyone else.

Integrity is not a general concept to be applied with broad brushstrokes but it is an intricate detail applied with intention and attention to the enhancements it brings to our characters. Let us not settle for anything less.