Integrity: are you incomplete?

Integrity, a concept that has come to my attention lately. 
According to the Miriam-Webster's dictionary it means:

1: firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values : incorruptibility

2: an unimpaired condition : soundness

3: the quality or state of being complete or undivided : completeness

To me, all three of those definitions are closely related, to the point of being interchangeable. Because if you are not complete, you are not sound, and it is impossible to be complete without adhering to a code of values. Let me elaborate...

Let's start with the code. What is your code? What are your standards? Do you have any, or do you change as the situations change? My code is the Bible. I have found it to be a reliable source of wisdom, as it is the word of the God who created us. Just like when you want to know something about your iphone, you would go to Apple, when you want to know more about humans, their relationships and how to live in this life, you go to the creator of mankind.  In all his wisdom he gave us the record of Solomon's search for the meaning of life in Ecclesiastes. After his long search, trying everything under the sun, with nothing held back, he concluded in Ecc 12:13  "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man." The word duty here was supplied by the translator, but the original text says the "whole of man". The root of the Hebrew word used for whole means complete. Keeping god's commandments will make you complete, whole, sound. 

Why is that? Is not the Bible too restrictive, with all its "shall not"? Can it even be relevant in this modern world? To that I will answer a resounding and absolute "yes!". It can be relevant, because if you really think about it, human nature has not changed that much over all the time that we have been blessed to occupy this earth. And it is not in us to consistently find the right path, as Jeremiah so well declared:in Jer 10:23  'O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps." Jeremiah recognized that we are fallible but God is good and perfect. He loves us so much that he is willing to guide us through this life, all we have to do is to trust him and follow his lead. Pro 3:5-6  "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." And He can do this because of his divine nature, as Isaiah writes in Isa 55:8-9  "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." 

With that in mind, let's highlight a couple of points. First, the standard that allows you to have integrity is outside of yourself. It is something bigger than you. It calls for noble actions and hard choices, made easier by the undying conviction and knowledge that those actions and choices are right. Period. Second, since the code itself is infallible, since it comes from God, when we fail to have integrity it is because of our own departure from what is right.

We all know we are not perfect. So what makes us deviate from the path that God has set before us? 

• Fear. Fear of the consequences, fear of change, fear of the unknown, fear of getting caught in our sin (sin being the transgression of God's law, or violating the code)
• Anger. Anger is an emotion that, if left unchecked, can override our brain and our best judgement.
• Impulses. Action before thought. This one is one that pits our flesh against our spirit. And if the desire is strong, often our impulses to follow the flesh wins out.
• Temptation. The devil is present in this world and actively seeking to win the souls of those who have chosen to serve God. (1 Pe 5:8) He will try you, be sure of it. And sometimes we make the wrong choices and sin.

This life is not easy, but we can make it easier on us by allowing God to guide us through His Word. Our reward will be that we will be whole. We will have integrity. People will know that we consistently behave in the same right manner and that we can be trusted.

The benefits of integrity are numerous. In a more practical and materialistic way, did you know that the one characteristic that sets billionaires apart from all the others, the characteristic that allowed them to prosper is this: fanatical levels of integrity.

Integrity will also bring peace to your soul. It allows you to have a set way to make decisions that will never fail you. It allows you to be who God made you to be by acting in accordance to the principles that will make your soul whole. 

It also allows you to not be easily influenced by the whims and moods of others. Your decisions are not hinged on the drama that is going on around you, but on a set of principles. It tends to make situations much clearer, and decisions easier to follow through. 

So if you feel incomplete, if you are missing part of your soul, it could be that you are simply missing the instructions that you need to be whole.