Integrity is More Than Being Honest

Is It possible to tell the truth but still lack integrity? Integrity has two definitions. One is being honest and having strong moral principles. The other is the state of being whole and undivided.

The thing is we get so caught up in honesty we forget that truth can be manipulated. My wife can ask me, “where did I go today” and I can say “i went to the store and to work.” Would this be the truth? Yes but I didn’t say what store i went to and i did not specify which client i worked with. Did i stay home and work via zoom or did I meet a client at a Starbucks? Integrity is in the details.

When we talk Integrity we mean the heart behind what we say and do. A man of integrity doesn’t give minimum information to a spouse that has been betrayed. He gives her all the information she needs for her to feel safe. I left at this time, I took this route, there was so much traffic, I arrived at this time. These are the things they are looking for. Women are typically very descriptive while men tend to be straight to the point. Your being “honest” is only a part of walking in integrity. It is how we carry ourselves, how we communicate, and how vulnerable we are willing to be. Vulnerability and integrity may seem to clash in definitions but in this sense they go hand in hand. (Proverbs 28:18) “Whoever walks in integrity will be delivered, but he who is crooked in his ways will suddenly fall.”