Integrity

photo by photoblog.com
We're starting this new character study with the kids about integrity. We started listening to Dr. Erwin Mutzer (I'm not sure I'm spelling that right), and he has some good thoughts. His definition of integrity is "discerning right and wrong, acting on that discernment, and making it known that we make decisions based on this discernment." I like that, because it takes into account the idea of building a reputation of acting for right, and against wrong. We had a good long discussion about how this plays out. It's important for pre-teens and teens to understand that they are building their reputation, and integrity needs to be a part of it: being a truth speaker even when the truth costs, doesn't make us look good, and even harms or shames us. Integrity makes us whole (the word integer, or whole number, is from the same root word), meaning we will not be two faced or duplicitous. Others can depend on us, and will be willing to do business with us because we are honest and fair. Lastly, we should be commited to integrity even when others are not. This is all something the kids are already experiencing, so it's been very practical.

It's good stuff. Next week is part two.