Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent?
Who may live on your holy mountain?The one whose walk is blameless,
who does what is righteous,
who speaks the truth from their heart;
whose tongue utters no slander,
who does no wrong to a neighbor,
and casts no slur on others;
who despises a vile person
but honors those who fear the Lord;
who keeps an oath even when it hurts,
and does not change their mind;
who lends money to the poor without interest;
who does not accept a bribe against the innocent.Whoever does these things
Psalm 15
will never be shaken.
Not very long ago I received an email from the operations team of a company that I had been providing some services, but due to the changes in the current business environment, they had to terminate my services. They were writing to let me know about an oversight on their part, that caused them to omit some payments. I wasn’t even aware that they would make that payment because they gave me severance pay. I assumed the severance pay covered that. So I followed up with finance, telling them what the operations team told me. And the finance person told me that there were other pending payments on my account. So, they processed the full payment for all unpaid invoices. I was so blown by the integrity they displayed that I wrote back, telling the person how much of an impact they had had on me based on the way they handled those transactions.
I think it’s very interesting that you can be with someone in the same circle and fail to notice them. But once they get on your radar you start seeing them all the time. This has been my experience as I meditated on integrity. The second significant incident happened when I was in town, boarding the bus home. Normally, the conductor announces the price before you board the vehicle so you can assess whether it is within your budget or you would prefer waiting for one that is within your budget. And buses are often cheaper than the matatus. But when I got to the bus stop, there was a matatu that was charging the same price as the buses. I prefer using the bus because the matatus make longer stops thus taking longer on the road. But this matatu only mentioned one stage, so I assumed it would be faster to take the matatu since I was very very tired. Unfortunately, none of the other passengers held a similar opinion. And I ended up being the only passenger in the vehicle for about 10 minutes. But I was too tired to alight and go to board another vehicle. I chose to keep waiting. Eventually, the driver and conductor decided to change the route and charge different amounts depending on where you were going. The effect was that they charged more for where I was going. But the conductor told me that he would charge me the initially agreed price. Honestly, I didn’t believe him – but the new rate was still within my budget, so I stayed anyway. Then while on the way, the driver asked the conductor to remember that they were to charge me a different rate. And that was quite impressive. It wasn’t so much about the money but about being able to trust their word.
A final incident about integrity – or lack thereof – also happened in a matatu. A passenger said that they would pay via Mpesa. And the conductor gave the person the driver’s number. The said passenger then reversed the money. But because the driver didn’t have his phone when this happened, he didn’t know about it until later. When he got his phone and saw the reversal message, he was so frustrated that he told me about it and even showed me the message. He also complained about it for the rest of our trip.
Part of the expression of integrity is in dealing honestly with people and your word being your bond – that people can trust you to do the right thing and keep your word. Integrity is synonymous with honesty, sincerity, and incorruptibility. And the stories above demonstrate how integrity is displayed in the marketplace.
Why Practice Integrity?
It is fundamental that we practice integrity in our everyday lives. Sometimes it will cost us to keep our word. But we cannot be good ambassadors for the kingdom of God if we do not live our lives with integrity. Integrity forms the foundation of trust and credibility, which fosters stronger personal and professional relationships. You are more likely to influence people if you lead a life of integrity. And the inverse also holds true – you will likely have a hard time building relationships of any kind if you are not a person of integrity.
Practising integrity also helps you to make decisions that are consistent with your belief and helps you avoid compromising. I read about an athlete (Eric Liddell) who resolved not to enter the 100m heats because they were held on a Sunday, even though they were his best heats and he had been training for the Olympics for months. He went on to train for the 400m race instead and set a world record. In taking a stand, Liddell honoured God and God gave him victory. David’s proclamation in Psalm 15 holds true for Liddell – because of his resolve, he was unshaken.
Living with integrity also makes you respectable. People admire those who consistently uphold high ethical standards and demonstrate integrity in their words and deeds. I pointed that out in the stories that I shared. Furthermore, being a person of integrity can open doors to new opportunities since people are likely to vouch for you and mention your name whenever an opportunity arises. For businesses, integrity enhances customer loyalty and a positive brand image. This may eventually translate to sales and growth for the company.
I think practising integrity is deeply rooted in our identity. And when your identity is defined by Christ, you are more likely to choose the high way rather than conform to the patterns of this world, such as compromising. As Christ lives in us, He enables us to live with integrity. And there-in we dwell in God’s holy sanctuary.
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Great work.