This week’s Relief Society/Elder’s Quorum lesson is on integrity. But what, exactly, is integrity? To me, it’s one of those hard-to-define words; something you know innately but cannot exactly express (and for a writer, that’s saying a lot!).
I like the way President Kimball expresses it: “the willingness and ability to live by our beliefs and commitments.” There are two parts verb and two parts noun to this definition.
First, the nouns. We must have our beliefs and our commitments laid out before us. In order to have integrity, we must actually believe in something. Whether it is a belief in the gospel, or simply an innate sense of right and wrong, we must have a core of faith in something. We must also have commitments. In our case as Latter-day Saints, we are committed to following the Savior’s example. We made covenants (i.e. commitments) to Him at our baptism, and we continue to covenant (i.e. recommit) each time we partake of the sacrament.
Next, we must have a willingness to live by these two things. In terms of the gospel, we must be willing to live by its precepts. We have a desire to be like the Savior. We earnestly seek to follow His example and mold our actions and desires to be like His. If we do not want to do these things, then we will make no effort. Our actions will be accidental, rather than intentional, and we will fail to weave the pattern we discussed yesterday.
But we must also have the ability to keep our commitments. We are unable to be exactly like the Savior; we will not, on this earth, attain perfection. So our lack of exactly duplicating Him is not a lack of integrity. However, we do have, to varying degrees, the ability to do our best. My best is different from yours; what counts is not how we compare, but that I am earnestly trying. If I have neglected to give the Lord my all, He knows, and it reveals my level of integrity (or lack thereof).
Usually when I think of integrity, I think of followthrough. A person with integrity will accomplish the things they say they will, or will do their utmost. A person with integrity can be counted on; I don’t have to doublecheck them and make sure they are on task. I have never applied this to the gospel, and I have never considered that, if I am not giving obedience my all, I am lacking in integrity (though, granted, this is not the worst result if I am not being obedient). I have enjoyed the thoughts this lesson has provoked on the subject!
For other articles on President Kimball’s lesson, click on the RS/EQ Lesson link at right.
Related Articles:
General Conference from the Past: “Conversion and Commitment”
Sunday Review: Quick to Observe