{"id":511,"date":"2009-09-29T13:07:04","date_gmt":"2009-09-29T18:07:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/davidcprice.wordpress.com\/?p=511"},"modified":"2009-09-29T13:07:04","modified_gmt":"2009-09-29T18:07:04","slug":"on-integrity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/on-integrity\/","title":{"rendered":"On Integrity"},"content":{"rendered":"

The topic of integrity is something that has been coming up a lot in our circles here both in my teaching, as we’re walking through Acts, and in circumstances related to our overall community. The following are simply thoughts I have on integrity, so as you read, please don’t think I’m trying to be exhaustive and say all there is on the subject.\u00a0 As a matter of fact, when you’re done, I’d love for you to add your thoughts on the subject in the comments section.<\/p>\n

I am big on integrity because, not only does it define you, it’s what defines those whom you represent.\u00a0 For instance, I am a Jesus-Follower.\u00a0 That means that in all I do, I carry His name.\u00a0 My level of integrity can affect how others see Him.\u00a0 I am also a Price.\u00a0 As such, I carry the name of my mother and father.\u00a0 My Dad once told me when I was a teenager (probably just after I had asked to borrow the car), “David, I have protected my name by living a life of integrity.\u00a0 A good name is one of the best gifts I have to give you. Protect it.”\u00a0 I take that seriously. So, I also carry that name and what I do with it, reflects on him.<\/p>\n

Now, as we talked about in Journey Groups<\/a> on Sunday, integrity isn’t necessarily the same thing as reputation.\u00a0 Sometimes we can live a life of integrity yet we can be misunderstood or opposed by someone who has a different view that, when spread, can lead to a “bad reputation.”\u00a0 I know in my own life, I have been confronted by people in the church who hav\"integrity\"e just wanted to pick a fight.\u00a0 Rather than choosing to be a doormat (which is NOT a quality of Jesus, despite popular opinion), I tend to stand my ground and defend what I believe is right.\u00a0 As a result, I have been labeled by some as “unapproachable.”\u00a0 For those who choose to believe it without actually finding out for themselves, that becomes reality and affects my reputation.\u00a0 Does it define me?\u00a0 It might to them, but that is not who I am.\u00a0 If you ask others who have approached me with genuine concerns, they will give a different perspective (and that doesn’t necessarily define me, either).\u00a0 The point being, it may be impossible to always maintain a good reputation (which is subjective), but you can always be a person of integrity (which is objective).\u00a0 Jason<\/a> reminded us in Journey Groups that integrity is who you are when no one else is looking. Are you authentic<\/em>? Do you look the same in private and public?\u00a0 Are your desires, thoughts and actions consistent?<\/p>\n

Further, being a person of integrity doesn’t mean you are perfect<\/em>.\u00a0 It simply means that when you are wrong, you own it, admit it, and (when possible) apologize for it.\u00a0 Sadly, there are those who may not allow you to be fallible which means the moment you hurt them (which you inevitably will!), you are tarnished in their eyes and they just can’t take that.\u00a0 You then are no longer a person of integrity to them.\u00a0 The truth, though, is that your willingness to admit error and your desire to be forgiven speaks volumes of your integrity.\u00a0 What is hard is when that happens and they never tell you.\u00a0 They are angry or hurt with you and you have no idea.\u00a0 That happens way too often…can I get an ‘amen’?<\/p>\n

I have found in my life that those who have integrity don’t have to prove it.\u00a0 They\u00a0 don’t spend their lives explaining and defending all of their choices and decisions.\u00a0 People who are faking integrity always seem to have to try and convince people that they have integrity.\u00a0 They spend all their time trying to chase people down to make sure they don’t think badly of them.\u00a0 It is their utmost concern and the thing that provides their self-worth.\u00a0 Being unconcerned about the rep doesn’t negate the need to approach someone if there has been a wrong, but if people know you…really<\/em> know you…they’re going to give you the benefit of the doubt.\u00a0 Look at Jesus.\u00a0 He had a terrible\"seuss\" reputation among the religious people.\u00a0 He spent time with the worst of the worst and was regularly accused of some pretty unflattering stuff.\u00a0 But his greatest concern was not a good reputation among the religious lost, but that His Father was pleased and the people who really needed attention were getting it.\u00a0 Those who knew Him understood.\u00a0 Man, that I can be more like that!\u00a0 That at the end of the day, when you’ve done all you can and know you are living a life of integrity, to have the attitude of that great philosopher, Dr. Seuss:<\/p>\n

“Those who matter don’t mind, and those who mind, don’t matter.”<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tTweet<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The topic of integrity is something that has been coming up a lot in our circles here both in my teaching, as we’re walking through Acts, and in circumstances related to our overall community. The following are simply thoughts I have on integrity, so as you read, please don’t think I’m trying to be exhaustive…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[4],"tags":[42,80,236],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3jKZO-8f","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2936,"url":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/people-of-integrity-and-courage\/","url_meta":{"origin":511,"position":0},"title":"People of integrity and Courage","date":"April 29, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"This is the most amazing picture I've seen coming out of the Baltimore riots. May God allow healing to begin \u00a0","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidcprice.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/IMG_4413.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2355,"url":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/video-relentless-part-8-integrity-on-the-verge-of-extinction\/","url_meta":{"origin":511,"position":1},"title":"Video: Relentless, Part 8: Integrity, On the Verge of Extinction","date":"June 4, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Who do you trust? I mean really trust? If you're like most people (me, included), you can probably count on one hand the number of people you know, beyond a doubt, that their word is their bond; that if they commit to something, you can take it to the bank.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Christian Living"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4219,"url":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/no-more-excuses-thoughts-on-the-sbc-expose\/","url_meta":{"origin":511,"position":2},"title":"No More Excuses: Thoughts on the SBC Expose","date":"February 12, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"As I\u2019ve read the Houston Chronicle\u2019s expose, I\u2019ve been heartbroken over the horrible abuses that have taken place within Southern Baptist churches and institutions over the past decades. There is simply no excuse. None. 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Pharaoh had commanded the midwives to kill every Israelite child born who was a male. Instead, because of their fear\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Devotions\/Biblical Insights"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1471,"url":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/fight4purity\/","url_meta":{"origin":511,"position":5},"title":"The Fight for Purity","date":"July 26, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 Purity is something that we battle for all of our lives. \u00a0If we\u2019re not battling for it, we\u2019ve already given up on the idea. \u00a0For a Christ-follower, purity is not an option, it is a command; an expectation; a requirement. \u00a0Purity goes\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Faithfulness\"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/511"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=511"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/511\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=511"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=511"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=511"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}