A Woman of Integrity

By Laurie Ness

It's said that your life may be the only Bible some people read.  People in general want to see in someone the integrity lacking in so much of the world. Does this mean we must live perfectly, never making a mistake, to live a life of integrity? The answer is simple:  No.  We all make mistakes. An imperfect woman (or man, but since this is a blog for women, I'll focus on us for now!) can live a life of integrity.  A woman of good character will fall, but will not make excuses to justify her sin, will not lie to hide it, nor delay in restoring fellowship with her Heavenly Father.

See, integrity, or lack of it, is a reflection of our hearts.  It looks the same when no one can see us as it does when others are watching.  The presence of integrity brings peace to our beings and restful slumber while others wrestle with their consciences long into the night.  Now, that's not to say that every episode of insomnia is caused by a guilty conscience, but it does seem wise to examine our lives to rule out a lack of integrity as the source of sleepless nights.  I read this the other day, and it made so much sense:

"Keep sound wisdom and discretion;  So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck.  Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.  When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid;  yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet."  Proverbs 3:21-24 KJV

Sweet sleep.  Isn't that what we long for at the end of a busy day?  This sounds like a secret to restful sleep to me!

Integrity has an openness about it.  If we are ashamed to talk about a part of our life, there's a likelihood that we are living against what we know to be right in that area.  This transparency is different from the in-your-face rebellion that screams at us from so many sources these days.  No, the transparency of integrity is in the submitting to the quiet whispers of the Holy Spirit to share our struggles with someone.  We, of course, are wise to not just blurt out every detail of our lives to everyone who will listen.  Sometimes integrity is best "heard" in complete silence.  If we are staying in tune, we'll know when we're being nudged into words or warned to hush. :)

Prayer and the reading of Scripture will only help in our determination to be women of good character.  As Kay Arthur of Precept Ministries likes to say, the Bible is our plumb line.  We know how we should be living, what our attitudes should be, whether or not our hearts are well by reading God's Word.  If we have been students of the Word for long, we will know--sometimes without even re-reading it, because it has been written on our hearts--exactly what in our lives we need to change.  A woman lacking integrity will ignore what she knows to be true and do her own thing.  She will base her actions on the reactions of other people rather than on the Bible.  If no one is bugging her about her life, or if she has what she thinks she wants or needs, everything must be fine.

A woman of character and integrity, on the other hand, will not want to live in a way that offends her Lord.  She may mess up time and time again, but always it hurts her heart to do so and she determines to gain victory over her strongholds, rather than settling on living like a slave to that which she is not in reality.  (Romans 6:15-18, Galatians 4:6-8)

A woman lacking integrity will use her status under grace as an excuse to continue in her sin.  A wise woman knows, from reading the Bible and from listening to the Holy Spirit's quiet ministering to her heart, that this is a cop-out and not at all of God.  A woman of integrity doesn't necessarily understand every complex biblical doctrine, but obeys what she knows to be true.  As she gains more understanding, she shifts her actions, words and attitudes accordingly.  She is a work of art in progress! :)