A Pastor’s Thoughts: Integrity

By Carolyn and Bruce Gillette, co-pastors of First Presbyterian Union Church, Owego —

As the fall begins, many of us are giving some thought to education as we watch children get on school buses on these foggy mornings and as we hear stories of school days from children, grandchildren, or teachers that we know.

Most of us also know that the most important lessons are the ones we continue to learn and teach throughout our lives. While we need our nation’s children to learn math and reading, they (and we) also need to continually learn good values.

One of the most important values for all of us is integrity. It’s what a society is built upon. Integrity has been defined as “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles.”  

C.S. Lewis said that, “Integrity is doing the right thing even when no one is watching.”

Dwight D. Eisenhower, a U.S. President, Allied Commander in Europe for World War II, and a Presbyterian, once said, “The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office.”

Jesus was certainly a person of integrity: “They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others because you pay no attention to who they are.’” (Matthew 22:16)  

Jesus’ hearers saw him as a person whose words matched his actions. He “walked the talk.” He practiced what he preached.

Integrity is also about truth and honesty. James 5:12 reminds us, “Yes” be yes, and your “No” be no.” When we say something, people should be able to take us at our word.

We can see all kinds of positive examples of integrity in the world around us.  

A child answers a birthday party invitation: “Yes, I’ll be there,” and then she gets an invitation from another, closer friend to spend the day with her; yet she keeps her promise and goes to the party to help the birthday child have a wonderful day.

Someone finds a wallet full of cash and works hard to find the original owner and return the wallet, cash and all.

Sometimes,a local Facebook page tries to track down the rightful owner of a package delivered to the wrong doorstep. 

Yesterday, I heard about someone receiving too much change at a store (a sizable sum) and returning the extra amount to the cashier.

People who live with integrity love their neighbors, even neighbors they don’t know, or neighbors who have no power to return the favor.  

Employers run their businesses with integrity when they make sure employees are treated fairly and justly.

People in churches and organizations live with integrity when they speak with the same kindness to “enemies” as they do to friends; when they refrain from gossip; when they treat each other with respect.

People in government live with integrity when they follow the same rules and laws they expect others to live by; when they work to make things fair for all; when they respect the value of every person; when they work for the common good; when they value people over profit; when they care for people who are vulnerable (the young, the old, the stranger, the outsider).

Integrity is one of those core values that we probably learned earlier in our lives, yet we need to keep working at it. The close of day can be a good time to examine our lives: How did my actions today match the values I say are important? How did I do the right thing when nobody was watching? In what ways did I go out of my way to be truthful and honest? Did I get my news from news sources that have integrity, that seek the truth instead of from news sources that simply entertain? How did I encourage my family, my school, my church, my organization, and my country to live out values of integrity today?

(Carolyn and Bruce Gillette have served as the pastors of the First Presbyterian Union Church in Owego since December 2018.)