Thankful for: Integrity

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts… and be thankful.

Colossians 3:15 

Today is November 16, and in less than two weeks, it will be Thanksgiving Day.  Thanksgiving is, without a doubt, my favorite annual holiday, but it is going to be very different this year.  My kids will not be gathering at my home to stuff themselves with mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie. In the midst of this pandemic, our visitation will be a Zoom chat, which I am really looking forward to – with or without pie.

This is a very good time of year to remind myself what I have to be thankful for.  It is easy, in times of stress and crisis, to feel like there is nothing particularly good about our lives right now.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

2020:  I am  Thankful for Integrity

Do you swear to tell the truth,

the whole truth, and

nothing but the truth,

so help me God.

~Witness's Oath

My father was a big fan of the truth.  He told me that a person's word - his/her truthfulness - was the most important part of their character.  He said that my integrity was based on my honesty - on my ability to face up to and live the truth.  He also told me that no matter how look it took, the truth would always come out eventually. There were times growing up when I didn't want to hear what he had to say, but through the years I have come to realize that those lessons were the finest counsel he ever gave to me.

It is very difficult to find the truth in today’s society, so being a person of truth is much more important today than it was in my father’s lifetime.  The Apostle John gave this counsel:

My dear friends, don't believe everything you hear.

Carefully weigh and examine what people tell you.

1 John 4:1 

* 

I would be true, for there are those who trust me;

I would be pure, for there are those who care.

I would be strong, for there is much to suffer,

I would be brave, for there is much to care.

I would be brave, for there is much to care.

The Christian Life Hymnal, No. 500