Authenticity

He who walks with integrity walks securely, but he who perverts his ways will become known.

(Proverbs 10:9, NKJV)

Growing up in the country-side where there were few visitors, the presence of a new person was always noticeable.  Children would try to get as close as possible to the stranger.  For those who had left the village for the big city, their return to the village drew the same reaction.  Everyone and especially the children would be curious to hear, learn or just admire one of them who had broken through and now lived in the city.  Being aware of the attention that the returning individual would be accorded, there was also pressure on his/her part to be seen as successful by those left behind.  This pressure was so real that many did not go back home until they felt they had something tangible to show. Those in the village did not need to understand how one acquired the perceived success, all they did was to wish that they too would make it.  While I discuss this as having happened in the past, it is still a reality in some rural areas where deprivation and lack of development co-exist.  What is sad about it all, is that as individuals flaunt their progress, we tend to be more interested in the ‘what’ than the ‘how’.  It does not matter whether one is faking success, we take it in as greatness to be admired.

Beloved, our reference verse calls us to consider integrity in our dealings.  Honesty is not a word used much nowadays, it is a way of life, a way of doing things, a value at the core of the heart of the individual.  I write all this with trembling hands, acknowledging that we have become a generation more concerned with how we are seen by others, thereby losing out on what we value. Many are living the maxim – “the end justifies the means”, but does it really?  In our Christian walk, integrity is key, a marker of our security as we interact with others for the word says that if we pervert our ways, we shall finally be exposed.  Is it possible that we know how to speak like believers and can quote verses of the bible but the heart is not truthful?  Could we be presenting a behaviour of holiness, special dressing and mannerisms but our hearts are far from the Lord?  Apostle Paul writes about some having a form of godliness but denying the power of faith (2 Timothy 3:5-7) and he advises that we turn away from such. Beloved, we are not to be those who have an appearance of godliness yet doing things our way, we are to be those who carry the power of the gospel with integrity.  With integrity, we will not need to behave differently based on the setting we have found ourselves in, we are to be the same person regardless of who is around us.   We are to be known for our values by those that we interact with, that is a life of integrity.  Our life actions tell the story of our hearts.  It is possible that one can get away with something for a while, but down the road, there is a reveal of what truly is in the heart. Beloved, it is all about motives and the hidden intentions of the heart.  When we live with integrity before God, the final reveal will only confirm our walk of faith.  Just as our God is faithful and unchanging, may we too be found faithful.

Thoughts:

What is your reflection of the “what” and the “how”?

What is the motivator of your heart?

How has this influenced your choices?