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Psalm 26 1 Give judgment for me, O Lord, for I have lived with integrity; 2 Test me, O Lord, and try me; 3 For your love is before my eyes; 4 I have not sat with the worthless, 5 I have hated the company of evildoers; 6 I will wash my hands in innocence, 7 Singing aloud a song of thanksgiving 8 Lord, I love the house in which you dwell 9 Do not sweep me away with sinners, 10 Whose hands are full of evil plots, 11 As for me, I will live with integrity; 12 My foot stands on level ground; |
Integrity
What does it mean to live with integrity? The word “integrity” pops up twice in the psalm printed above, a psalm you may have heard in church yesterday. How do you understand the word? Here’s what I’m thinking: to live with integrity is to live without distraction. It is that virtue that allows us to keep our eyes on the prize, whatever we deem that prize to be. Hopefully, it is some high and holy end. Integrity is the ability to keep the main thing the main thing.
Dictionary definitions describe integrity as a matter of wholeness or completeness. They speak of incorruptibility. They speak of soundness, a solid foundation. Each of those elements can be found in the psalm. Incorruptibility comes with trust in the Lord, without faltering (verse 1). It comes with a refusal to spend time with what is worthless (v. 4). Soundness comes with a firm foundation, feet standing on level ground (v. 22), which goes back to trust. It comes with clear purpose, in the case of this psalm, keeping the love of God before our eyes (v. 3) Completeness comes with a rigorous inventory of one’s own spiritual life, an examination of heart and mind (v. 2). All of it has to do with peeling away distraction. Lord knows, we’ve got all kinds of distractions surrounding us.
For me, integrity is related to sincerity. I’ve heard this about the etymology of sincerity, which some sources dispute. The idea I like (if it’s not true, it ought to be) has to do with wax, with the idea that sincerity comes from two Latin words: sine “without” and cera “wax.” Both suggest ancient Roman craftspersons, marble workers who would cover imperfections in the stone with wax, much as unscrupulous antique dealers might rub wax to hide a scratch in wood. There are also stories that unprincipled bricklayers would use wax instead of cement. When the wax melted, bricks could shift and structures collapse. The claim that something was “sine cera,” without wax, would therefore be significant.
As I reflect on these words, integrity and sincerity, I’m hearing phrases from several collects in the Prayer Book, as well as the Easter canticle “Christ our Passover.” Each end with a call to live our lives with sincerity and truth. I’m hearing the words of the post-communion prayer which calls us to worship with gladness and singleness of heart. I’m thinking of Kierkegaard’s claim that purity of heart is to will one thing. And I hold that in tension with the caution of Bishop Alan Gates (which I cite often as a reflection of my own interior life) who said he never met a motive that wasn’t mixed.
Perhaps the important question is to think about what is that one thing from which we may be distracted. What is that pearl of great price? Again, the psalm suggests that it’s the love of God held always before our eyes.. Our psalm suggests that we stay in touch with that love, we walk in integrity as we worship (v. 6-8), as we recognize that God is the star of the story, not the church, not ourselves, certainly not our political leaders or their agendas.
For those who swim in the Christian stream, that goal is to keep Jesus at the center. As we are surrounded by possibilities for distraction, we gather to hear God’s word and share the bread and wine. On our own, we devote ourselves to spiritual practices. We find ways to do what Jesus did, to serve, all of which helps us keep our eyes on that prize. I’m thinking that’s what it means to live with integrity, and to walk in sincerity and truth.
Maybe more than defining integrity, we might want to think of where we see it at work in the world, or more to the point, who models integrity. There are biblical examples. The word integrity doesn’t show up often in scripture, only once in the New Testament, mostly in the Psalms and Proverbs. It also shows up several times in the book of Job. In the mystery of that book, an exploration of the problem of evil, Job models integrity. As bit by bit, everything is taken away from him, he remains on track, even if he faces life-threatening distraction, even as he gets mad, even as he asks hard questions.
Can you think of more contemporary models of integrity? As I reflected on this virtue, I was mindful of Jimmy Carter’s 100th birthday last week. He said: I have one life and one chance to make it count for something… My faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can with whatever I have to try to make a difference. I give thanks for the ways he models integrity, sincerity and truth.
Spend some time thinking this week about where you see models of integrity, and ask God to help you grow in this way, with gladness and singleness of heart, in sincerity and truth.
–Jay Sidebotham
