I was watching a documentary recently on the sinking of the Titanic.There was much investigation into what caused the lost of this great ship and 1,517 lives on April 15, 1912. One of the conclusions reached was that the rivets holding the steel together were made of sub-grade iron. These rivets gave way causing structural integrity issues. I think many relationships are sunk because of structural integrity issues also. In order to protect integrity in relationships there should be a focus on three areas of our lives.Here are the 3 P’s of integrity.
Private integrity-This is who I am when no one knows.It is who I am when I am in the motel room alone on a business trip.
Personal integrity-This is who I am with those close to me and know me well. It is who I am pulling into the church parking running just a little bit late on Sunday morning.
Public integrity-This is who I am with those who know me on a casual or limited basis. It is who I am greeting people in church after walking from the parking lot.The key to integrity is to be the same person in all three venues. Anything less will be sub-grade and will eventually take meaningful relationships under.
Questions to Ponder:
1.Who am I and how do I function when no one is watching?
2.To what extent do people close to me know me as real?
3.How am I different to those who know me on a limited basis?
Scripture: I Chronicles 29:17 I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things I have given willingly and with honest intent.(NIV)