7-2-16
Time and time again, you'll here me say, 'we're not Jesus' and/or 'we're human'. This is definitely one of those times, so insert that remark where you see fit. Todays topic has actually been on my brain a bit. For multiple reasons. Some personal events that happened, my kids, concern of the world type things. Honesty and integrity. You would think they're one in the same, but there is a slight difference. Honesty is just 'yes, grandma, i took a cookie out the cookie jar' or, if you have children, you know exactly how honest they are lol. Integrity is more ethics and moral compass. It's what makes you go, 'It'd be better to tell the truth', or 'oh hey, i found a wallet, i should turn that in so the owner could find it' type stuff. So as you can see, while they're linked to one another, they're actually different. Then lying, well, who likes to be lied to?
Honesty is such a very fragile thing. A single lie can cause so much distrust. When you lose trust due to lack of honesty, be it with friends, family, or at work, it's usually VERY hard to get back. There's a song i absolutely love by Francesca battistelli, it starts Truth is harder than a lie; the dark seems safer than the light; And everyone has a heart that loves to hide. Those few verses in the beginning of that song hold so much truth. It is easier to just lie. But when you start start lying, it gets increasingly harder especially keeping up with what lies go with what to keep people from knowing you're lying. According to proverbs 16:13, "righteous lips are a delight of a king, and he loves him who speaks what is right. Another verse, proverbs 12:22 states, "lying lips are an abomination to the Lord". I don't know about y'all, but i hate being lied to, I hate lying period. I don't even like 'white lies' all that much. Yea they're 'good' when you're planning a surprise party or something, but even a half truth is still a lie. Because, you aren't telling the complete truth. As you keep lying, you try to keep more to the shadow, or 'under the radar', cuz you know if you came out 'into the light' all those things you did would end up coming out at some point. But as you hide, you harden your heart. You try so hard to keep up all these walls and barriers, and it's not very fun. Especially when you're put in a spot to break down those walls you had for YEARS and encased and infused with the strongest metal in world. It's a very painful barrier to overcome. Like any parent, i'm tryin to so hard to keep my children from going down that painful road. While some of the things they say are sometimes cruelly honest, i still hold it in reverence, cuz i don't want them to lose that pure honesty they have. If you were to meet my family, or my friends, they can tell you how brutally honest i can be. We just have to work on tact LOL. anyways. While lying and such is easier, It's so much better to be honest. Cuz then, you have nothing to hide. You can walk out 'in the light' with your head held high. When you keep to honesty, you'll be held by a not only a higher standard that sets you apart from others, but, you gain respect and be seen as reliable on many different levels. You'll become more of a 'go-to' person by friends and workers. People would rather come to you and seek advice on things when they know they'll get an honest answer. Even if that answer is, 'no. that's a stupid idea! why would you even ask that?!'.
Proverbs 28:6 says, "greater is the poor who walks in integrity, than a rich man who is crooked in his ways", and Proverbs 10:9 "whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his way crooked with be found out". Integrity is like the meat of the soul. It's what shows your character. It's also that sometimes annoying voice in the back of your head that sings, "you shoooooouldn't doooo thaaaat", or says, "probably should of kept your mouth shut on that part', or 'smack them upside the head and murder their soul with love and truth cuz they need some help right now'. Or something like that. Everyone's voices are different. QUIT LYIN! YOU HAZ VOICES TOO! why do you think you talk to yourself? lol, I promise i'm only slightly crazy :D. Anyways lol. At this point, i'm gunna run a few scenario's out there. I feel like with examples i can better put integrity on the spotlight. Billy really wants to go out and play, but he had to do his home work first. 'MA! can i go play now?' 'you finish your homework?' in this case, the choices are simply yes or no. Integrity dictates saying 'no' finishing your homework, and then hope there's time left in the day to go play. But Billy really wanted to go play and said 'yes'. Later, when he was actually doing his homework, he got caught, and is now in trouble. His integrity and honesty are now compromised. So now, next time Billy says he's done with his homework, his mother checks after him due to his damaged character. Another example, personal at that. I had my kids at a park and i found a wallet. I picked it up and rummaged through it like any nosy woman would. At this point some of you might be groaning, but hang on. I rummaged through it only for the debit cards..stop thinking bad thoughts about me, that hurts T-T...I turned the cards over, called the 800 number on the back, and had all his cards frozen, then i gathered my 2 children, and went to a police station to turn it in. At a old job, I tried helping out someone with their job, and my boss came over and asked if it was me who had done it. I said i helped as best i could cuz so and so was busy and i just wanted to help. While they thanked me for being completely honest and showing great integrity, teamwork, work ethic and such, I didn't do it correctly, so now it was gunna take a little longer for the job. I immediately apologized and asked to be shown the correct way to do it so i could fix help fix the situation at hand to help cut down on the workload i had mistakenly added. I learned quickly, and workhorsed through that mug. Even with the mess up, still help cut down the time of the job. So when i had a person try to slander my name, i was able to keep my head up high and just brush it off. My character and integrity wasn't going to be compromised. As soon as it happened, people nearby who knew me, immediately called that person out and defended me. It's people who slander and try to cause issues, that pave way for crooked advances in life. Sometimes they get blocked on spot, sometimes they end up being big time CEO's before they fall on their faces. Like that Pharama guy who was making it impossible for cancer patients to afford a certain medication and is now in jail for fraud. In 2 Corith 8:21, "for we aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord's sight, but the sight of man". The way in life is not paved easily for those who lack integrity, honesty, those tiny little voices. They crawl and claw their way up stepping on others in their path. But when we do what's of good integrity, While sometimes it might be a snail crawl at first, soon after it's by leaps and bounds we advance. The advance may be small steps at a time, but it'll happen. That one that crawled and clawed, when they fall on their face, they'll be back at the bottom of the barrel, and have to start over again IF they can. While the one who remained in good integrity, has more options and room to grow and advance if desired. Don't get me wrong, having really good integrity can be extremely hard in times. Especially when you have to admit you were wrong about something or did something wrong. Acts 24:16, "so i always take pains to have a clear conscience towards both God and man". Even when it's admitting to dear ol grandma that you stole the last cookie with out asking.
Time and time again, you'll here me say, 'we're not Jesus' and/or 'we're human'. This is definitely one of those times, so insert that remark where you see fit. Todays topic has actually been on my brain a bit. For multiple reasons. Some personal events that happened, my kids, concern of the world type things. Honesty and integrity. You would think they're one in the same, but there is a slight difference. Honesty is just 'yes, grandma, i took a cookie out the cookie jar' or, if you have children, you know exactly how honest they are lol. Integrity is more ethics and moral compass. It's what makes you go, 'It'd be better to tell the truth', or 'oh hey, i found a wallet, i should turn that in so the owner could find it' type stuff. So as you can see, while they're linked to one another, they're actually different. Then lying, well, who likes to be lied to?
Honesty is such a very fragile thing. A single lie can cause so much distrust. When you lose trust due to lack of honesty, be it with friends, family, or at work, it's usually VERY hard to get back. There's a song i absolutely love by Francesca battistelli, it starts Truth is harder than a lie; the dark seems safer than the light; And everyone has a heart that loves to hide. Those few verses in the beginning of that song hold so much truth. It is easier to just lie. But when you start start lying, it gets increasingly harder especially keeping up with what lies go with what to keep people from knowing you're lying. According to proverbs 16:13, "righteous lips are a delight of a king, and he loves him who speaks what is right. Another verse, proverbs 12:22 states, "lying lips are an abomination to the Lord". I don't know about y'all, but i hate being lied to, I hate lying period. I don't even like 'white lies' all that much. Yea they're 'good' when you're planning a surprise party or something, but even a half truth is still a lie. Because, you aren't telling the complete truth. As you keep lying, you try to keep more to the shadow, or 'under the radar', cuz you know if you came out 'into the light' all those things you did would end up coming out at some point. But as you hide, you harden your heart. You try so hard to keep up all these walls and barriers, and it's not very fun. Especially when you're put in a spot to break down those walls you had for YEARS and encased and infused with the strongest metal in world. It's a very painful barrier to overcome. Like any parent, i'm tryin to so hard to keep my children from going down that painful road. While some of the things they say are sometimes cruelly honest, i still hold it in reverence, cuz i don't want them to lose that pure honesty they have. If you were to meet my family, or my friends, they can tell you how brutally honest i can be. We just have to work on tact LOL. anyways. While lying and such is easier, It's so much better to be honest. Cuz then, you have nothing to hide. You can walk out 'in the light' with your head held high. When you keep to honesty, you'll be held by a not only a higher standard that sets you apart from others, but, you gain respect and be seen as reliable on many different levels. You'll become more of a 'go-to' person by friends and workers. People would rather come to you and seek advice on things when they know they'll get an honest answer. Even if that answer is, 'no. that's a stupid idea! why would you even ask that?!'.
Proverbs 28:6 says, "greater is the poor who walks in integrity, than a rich man who is crooked in his ways", and Proverbs 10:9 "whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his way crooked with be found out". Integrity is like the meat of the soul. It's what shows your character. It's also that sometimes annoying voice in the back of your head that sings, "you shoooooouldn't doooo thaaaat", or says, "probably should of kept your mouth shut on that part', or 'smack them upside the head and murder their soul with love and truth cuz they need some help right now'. Or something like that. Everyone's voices are different. QUIT LYIN! YOU HAZ VOICES TOO! why do you think you talk to yourself? lol, I promise i'm only slightly crazy :D. Anyways lol. At this point, i'm gunna run a few scenario's out there. I feel like with examples i can better put integrity on the spotlight. Billy really wants to go out and play, but he had to do his home work first. 'MA! can i go play now?' 'you finish your homework?' in this case, the choices are simply yes or no. Integrity dictates saying 'no' finishing your homework, and then hope there's time left in the day to go play. But Billy really wanted to go play and said 'yes'. Later, when he was actually doing his homework, he got caught, and is now in trouble. His integrity and honesty are now compromised. So now, next time Billy says he's done with his homework, his mother checks after him due to his damaged character. Another example, personal at that. I had my kids at a park and i found a wallet. I picked it up and rummaged through it like any nosy woman would. At this point some of you might be groaning, but hang on. I rummaged through it only for the debit cards..stop thinking bad thoughts about me, that hurts T-T...I turned the cards over, called the 800 number on the back, and had all his cards frozen, then i gathered my 2 children, and went to a police station to turn it in. At a old job, I tried helping out someone with their job, and my boss came over and asked if it was me who had done it. I said i helped as best i could cuz so and so was busy and i just wanted to help. While they thanked me for being completely honest and showing great integrity, teamwork, work ethic and such, I didn't do it correctly, so now it was gunna take a little longer for the job. I immediately apologized and asked to be shown the correct way to do it so i could fix help fix the situation at hand to help cut down on the workload i had mistakenly added. I learned quickly, and workhorsed through that mug. Even with the mess up, still help cut down the time of the job. So when i had a person try to slander my name, i was able to keep my head up high and just brush it off. My character and integrity wasn't going to be compromised. As soon as it happened, people nearby who knew me, immediately called that person out and defended me. It's people who slander and try to cause issues, that pave way for crooked advances in life. Sometimes they get blocked on spot, sometimes they end up being big time CEO's before they fall on their faces. Like that Pharama guy who was making it impossible for cancer patients to afford a certain medication and is now in jail for fraud. In 2 Corith 8:21, "for we aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord's sight, but the sight of man". The way in life is not paved easily for those who lack integrity, honesty, those tiny little voices. They crawl and claw their way up stepping on others in their path. But when we do what's of good integrity, While sometimes it might be a snail crawl at first, soon after it's by leaps and bounds we advance. The advance may be small steps at a time, but it'll happen. That one that crawled and clawed, when they fall on their face, they'll be back at the bottom of the barrel, and have to start over again IF they can. While the one who remained in good integrity, has more options and room to grow and advance if desired. Don't get me wrong, having really good integrity can be extremely hard in times. Especially when you have to admit you were wrong about something or did something wrong. Acts 24:16, "so i always take pains to have a clear conscience towards both God and man". Even when it's admitting to dear ol grandma that you stole the last cookie with out asking.
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