Character

in·teg·ri·ty/inˈtegritē/Noun

1. The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.

StarryEyes said:

Copied from Biblegateway.com..

Proverbs 11:3
The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them.

Proverbs 19:1
Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool.

Proverbs 20:7
The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.

Integrity keeps coming up time and time again lately in my life.

Please name a characteristic of integrity. What does it look like? Are you a man or woman of integrity? (you do not have to answer that here, just something to think about)

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To me, it's an incredibly important aspect to have - and keep - in my life. It means saying what you mean and doing what you say you will (that last part I have had trouble with). It means doing what is right, regardless if you are being watched or not. It means doing what is right, regardless if you are doing so while facing a huge obstacle or none at all (and almost-always you will face something BECAUSE you are doing right). It means following your principles whether or not you have the support of your friends.

white dove said:

It means doing what is right, regardless if you are being watched or not. It means doing what is right, regardless if you are doing so while facing a huge obstacle or none at all (and almost-always you will face something BECAUSE you are doing right). It means following your principles whether or not you have the support of your friends.

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I agree with all that has been said. Integrity is built on a foundation of honesty. Honesty with yourself and with others. From there, it is choosing to do what is 'right' in the face of what is easy.

I knew a gal that is the example in my life.
She was going to a community college and applied for a scholarship. It was credited to her account twice. She went back in a couple of times to make sure that the second credit was taken off. She did not have much money, but she was 100% truthful. This is only an example of the things she did.

StarryEyes said:

Character and integrity should be a big deal to the Christian. If we don't back up what we say we believe with our actions, how do we expect others to take God seriously?

Thank you all so much for your input! Honesty is huge. To show integrity you also have to be able to keep a secret. Proverbs 11:13 says "A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter."

What about being genuine? This is something I personally struggle with..
And what about being trustworthy?
What about being quick to appologize and make things right when you've been in the wrong?

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If someone tells me something in confidence, I almost-always don't even have to think about it. Even though I might vent about someone, I try to keep what they say to me in confidence locked up inside. It's nobody's business unless he or she told other people, but even then. That person told me and they trusted me; ideally, for a good reason. I would also probably link that to the Golden Rule. I wouldn't want someone betraying my trust, either. That's huge.

Being genuine is sometimes tricky in the working world. You have to play the game if you want to stick around.. and sometimes that means doing the dry laugh or fake smile even though you might feel like crap or not get along with someone. It's forcing it for the sake of having a good reputation. That's biblical, too. Having a good reputation is important, but I think where I fail here is feeling the need to "fake it" at work. I don't fake things very well and am a naturally terrible actress. It's much more important to be honest, but at the same time, you can't always be. Sometimes, you just have to suck it up and put on your game face. Why I think I fail at that is because maybe I shouldn't have to fake it. Maybe it's simply a matter of re-prioritizing and shifting focus onto something else rather than my headache or my lack of a great relationship with such-and-such person.

I'm quick to apologize because like with lying (except for the "faking it" part I mentioned above), things just don't settle right with me if there is a problem. I have to apologize if I feel that something was my fault - or if I know it was. I "blame"/credit my faith. When you grow in your faith, your will gradually and naturally becomes aligned with God's. Things don't sit right for a reason. Other things you're prompted to do for a reason. It's the Holy Spirit keeping you in-check.

white dove said:

Being genuine is sometimes tricky in the working world. You have to play the game if you want to stick around.. and sometimes that means doing the dry laugh or fake smile even though you might feel like crap or not get along with someone.

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Building off of WD's point. I often feel like there is a game (or games) with 'the game'. For me, being genuine 'exists' or happens in the larger 'game' as it happens over a much longer period of time. To be honest, being genuine or not does not really apply then for me in the games within the game.