Integrity

Better to be poor and honest

than to be dishonest and a fool. Proverbs 19:1

THERE COMES A DAY when a child tells his first lie, when he deceives in order to get something he wants or to get out of something he doesn’t want to do. When that happens, a part of our heart breaks as we realize in a more personal way that our child is a sinner and that sin and self-preservation come as naturally to him as they do to us.

But of greater concern is when our children fall into a pattern of lying and become comfortable with deception. We long for them to be people of integrity —people who can be trusted to do what they say they will do, who are the same in private as they are in public, who are incorruptible and committed to honesty in dealing with others.

Certainly we can model integrity for our children. Proverbs tell us, “The righteous man walks in his integrity; His children are blessed after him” (20:7, NKJV). Our children benefit from our ongoing integrity. More than anyone else, they are in a position to see who we are behind the scenes. They notice when we pay full price for their ticket or meal —or when we lie about their age to save a few bucks. They listen as we notify the cable company that we should be charged for service to another room —or watch as we hook up cable we haven’t paid for. They see us working hard because we know we’re on the clock —or hear us tell our boss we’re working from home when we’re actually doing other things. By modeling integrity in our own lives, we encourage our children to act with integrity.

But our children need much more than our example or our rules. They need the Holy Spirit to fill them with a love for truth and a disdain for dishonesty. They need him to help them partake of the divine nature, which is one of perfect integrity. As our children are in Christ, they will increasingly become people of integrity.

Lord, show me the little ways I compromise that leave a legacy of something less than integrity for my children to see and follow. Show me how to challenge and correct the ways ________ acts with a lack of integrity so that by the power of the Holy Spirit, ________ might know the joy of a clean conscience, a good reputation, and an unhindered relationship with you.