It’s understandable if reflecting on integrity makes you feel a bit uneasy, especially as you think about those moments where you may have fallen short, missed opportunities to act with integrity, or faced moral challenges in your life. We all have our own lists of shortcomings. St. Augustine wisely noted that acknowledging our wrongdoings is the first step toward genuine goodness. If you truly desire to become a person of integrity, the first step is to recognize and admit where you have fallen short of that ideal. Be honest before God about how you sometimes struggle to keep your promises, about moments of gossip that you find enticing, or times when you may not have given your best effort at work. Acknowledging these truths is the first step in upholding integrity. Many individuals create boundaries in their lives, believing that they can maintain integrity in one aspect while harboring flaws in another, as if those flaws won’t impact the entirety of their lives. I refer to this mindset as the “Titanic myth.” The Titanic was once deemed unsinkable because it was designed with a segmented hull, allowing it to compartmentalize damage. The idea was that localized issues wouldn’t lead to an overall sinking. However, in the grand scheme of your life, a breach in integrity, no matter how small, can lead to significant challenges. What you think you can manage in isolation may ultimately bring you down, affecting not only yourself but also those around you. Sin may feel personal, but its effects ripple outward and touch many lives. Perfection is not a requirement from God. Rather, He seeks those who strive for integrity, and the first step is owning your shortcomings, regardless of how extensive they may seem. What truly matters to God is your heart. None of us will achieve perfection or a sinless existence, but we can strive to “sin less.” This is the essence of embracing integrity. - Inspired by (and including excerpts from) an article by Rick Warren
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