Genesis 38: 24 Judah said, "Bring her out and have her burned to death."
It seems to me that the issue discussed today is integrity, and I see integrity as consistency between what is on the outside, what one says and does, with what is on the inside. Further, as I think about the issue Smith calls the hypocrisy of double standards, for me - it seems to boil down to personal integrity.
Do I live out what I say or who I purport to be? And, do I live out the same standards I expect others to live up to? I remember the adjustment I experienced as a novice missionary. For many years, missionaries occupied a place of honor in my mind, a pedastal, if you will, as somehow holier, closer to God, more righteous, than the average, regular Christian. And I guess part of me thought it was easier for them to be holy, righteous and close to God than for the rest of us.
Then, we arrived on the mission field. Within a few weeks, I was devastated to learn that missionaries were regular Christians, who just happen to minister in what was to me then "exotic" places. They struggled with jealousy, envy, truth, and covetousness, for instance. Sometimes they had victory over the temptation, and sometimes they didn't.
What I failed to notice was that I was holding these men and women to a higher standard than I allowed for myself. Furthermore, I also failed to notice that I was no longer a "regular" person, but also a missionary.
The hypocrite says, "Do what I say, not what I do." The person who lacks integrity says, "Do what I say you should do, and excuse me, if I don't do what I say."
God wants us to be consistent, inside and outside. If we say we believe, that we are a Christian or a child of God, then we ought to look and sound like one. No double standards - whether it is out there where everyone can see us, or inside our house, inside our head, where no one can see us - no one but God.
I know what you mean about the double standards. I catch myself doing the same thing. A lot of times in Christian circles, no one wants to be the one to bring up anything they're seriously struggling with. So it's easy for us to think that we're alone in our sins.
ReplyDeleteI think this is why it's so important to have people that I can be blunt with - accountability partners. I have to be honest with myself and those that love me so I don't sweep things under the rug rather than dealing with them.
Integrity - it's one of those things you either have or you don't.
ReplyDeleteIntegrity is not measured by percentile.
Those statements are not original...When I read them, they made me catch my breath for they truly hit home.