Thoughts for the Day

I will sing of loyalty and of justice;
to you, O Lord, I will sing.
I will study the way that is blameless.
When shall I attain it?

I will walk with integrity of heart
within my house;
I will not set before my eyes
anything that is base.

(Church in Wales Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

King David says in this psalm that he will walk with 'integrity of heart', but what does integrity actually mean? The dictionary says that it is someone who sticks to moral or ethical principles (see Thoughts for the day) and who is honest and sound in character.

Perhaps 'integrity' is not a word we often use because all too often human beings crumble and fall from their pedestals. So we tend to apply this to those who have died, like Nelson Mandella. However, I like this story about Mahatma Gandhi, which indicates his integrity:

'A mother brought her young son to meet the great man. She asked Gandhi to tell the boy never to eat sugar because of its effects on his health and teeth. Gandhi refused, instead asking the mother to bring the boy back again thirty days later. When she returned, Gandhi did as she wished, telling the boy to stay away from sugar. The mother wondered why Gandhi had not just done that on the first visit, and Gandhi replied that he had still been eating sugar at their first visit and did not feel comfortable telling others to abstain from something that he enjoyed.' (anon)

Lord God,
may we learn to live with integrity -
to stick to our principles,
no matter how hard this may seem,
and to be honest and of sound character
at all times.
Amen.