Several times I have had the blessing of serving in the Young Women organization of our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This organization serves young women aged twelve to eighteen. Each Sunday at the beginning of the Young Women meeting, the girls and their leaders recite a theme that encourages them to live important values of the gospel of Jesus Christ, one of which is integrity. How do we define integrity? It could be defined as consistency to particular principles and standards of behavior, regardless of who is around. If we have integrity, we act and behave the same, whether we are alone, with a group of friends, or in a large crowd. In other words, integrity is the act of behaving honorably, even when no one is watching.
What are some of the character traits we see in a person with integrity? There are many, but here are a few.
A person of integrity takes responsibility for their actions. They do not justify or make excuses for their behavior or shift blame to others. As parents, we’ve all watched a child shift blame to a sibling — “she made me,” “it’s not my fault,” etc. At some point in our lives, we have to own up to our part in failures. When mistakes are made, jobs are left undone, or blunders happen, people with integrity will own up to their part in the failure. Elder Tad R. Callister said, “There is something ennobling about the man or woman who admits his or her weaknesses or takes the blame ‘square-on’ without excuse or alibi.” This is not easy for anyone, as no one enjoys admitting their shortcomings–especially in front of friends or colleagues–but such admissions show that we have nothing to hide and increases our credibility. We prove we can be trusted.
People of integrity honor their commitments and promises, even when it’s not convenient or easy. Their word truly is their bond; there are no loopholes in their promises. Integrity is the quality of doing what’s right regardless of the consequences. We all have friends, family, or coworkers who always follow through on their promises. Most of us also know people that have trouble keeping commitments and can’t be counted on to do what they say they will do. We quickly learn that while we love them, we can’t always rely on them. Hopefully, we are the friend that can always be counted on.
A person of integrity is completely honest. They do what is moral and Christlike, not just what they can legally get away with. Integrity is adhering to a high moral code. Elder Sterling W. Sill told a story many years ago about stopping at a gas station to buy a bottle of soda. He put a dime in the machine and pulled out the soda, but his dime came back. He did this several times with the same result. He thought to himself, “They charge too much for this stuff anyway.” He was leaving when the still small voice inside said to him, ”Sterling, are you really going to be a thief for a dime?” “Of course not,” he answered. “The price is not nearly enough.” He went in and returned the dime to the gas station employee. Sometimes we are willing to sell our integrity for relatively small sums: failing to point out a missed grocery item to the checker, cheating on a test or our taxes, or lying by omission to a spouse or parent.
The following question from Elder Callister is one we can all ask ourselves: “Does our integrity, our honor, have a purchase price—a dime, a thousand dollars, the approval of our peers, some physical pleasure, or temporary recognition? Is there some point at which our integrity can be purchased? Or is it priceless—not for sale at any price?” Hopefully, we can answer like Job, “My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit. God forbid that I should justify you: till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me.” (Job 27:5)
Kristine Gifford is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
