Integrity

A game we play to “break the ice” in youth group is called two truths and a lie. It is a way of revealing parts of yourself to others you are just getting to know and build conversation. The game requires each person to state two truths and a lie and the other participants to guess which statement is a lie. It can be a fun way to shock others with quirky parts of your personality that they wouldn’t normally know about you. I tend to shock them by revealing my love for the “Walking Dead” and horror podcasts.

The entire hang up in getting to know others is that we only witness what they desire to show or reveal to us. We develop trust over time and through sharing experiences. It is a rare person that is open enough to reveal their center with boldness. It is hard to be vulnerable and risk being hurt and exploited. I have spent a large portion of my life moving and getting to know new people and develop relationships. It takes time and in developing those friendships some people become a part of your fiber and remain for a lifetime, and others only for a season. I believe a lot of that has to do with the depth of honesty, trust, and devotion that is created and shared.

Over the past two days a theme of integrity developed. It was a point of conversation in several different contexts. In sharing observations with a friend we explored our understanding of integrity. It is an integral point of evaluation in a class that I am taking, and beautifully demonstrated through a colleague.

He is a gentle soul with a soft southern Indiana way of speaking. Always dressed in suit and collared shirt his clothing reveals his generation. White hair neatly combed above a gentle welcoming face. He is the administrator for my district of Course of Study. He operates as my bursar, and registrar for the classes I take at the University of Indianapolis. Devoted to record accuracy he carries his binder with all our names and classes and subsequent payments accounted for.

As we gather for another weekend of study in the school’s chapel we hear announcements, updates, and share prayers before we worship. Over the seven years at COS I have prayed for this gentleman’s ill wife and her entrance to glory. I have hugged and tried to share gentle and encouraging words as I witnessed the pull of grief upon his shoulders and facial features.

He stood up to lead us in the morning message and revealed a level of integrity to faith and the love of God that has clung to me and proves to be an example of loving trust beyond what I have ever witnessed. He revealed he had lost his son suddenly and shared of the infant children that had also passed into glory. He shared his questions, and the inability to comprehend the reasons for experiencing so much loss. He shared his heart in gentle revelatory boldness. Through his words he witnessed to the beauty of his soul. A loving man, a Christian man, a man of integrity. Despite all the loss and questions he remains faithful. A man of integrity. A man of God.

As we all journey forward and continue our path of life. What will we reveal? Will our lives be full of integrity and bold truths, or will we hide behind deceptive layers to impress others? Will we embrace our faith and struggle with our understandings of God in order to establish our theological foundations? Will we boldly share our center so others may also witness the honesty of life lived in faith and the struggles and questions we encounter? Will we love others enough to entrust them to who we are and share our pain? Will we live with integrity and faith?