Character and Integrity are Key

 

By Andrea Merrell

The righteous man walks in his integrity.

Proverbs 20:7 NKJV

 

“You are a character, but you don’t have character,” I said to a former boss after I had turned in my resignation and he demanded that I tell him what went wrong. "And you're sorely lacking in integrity," I added.

Sounds a bit snarky, I know. Normally, I would never speak that way to someone in authority(especially a boss), but in the position he held, character and integrity were crucial. We both knew I was speaking the truth. Things had gotten out of hand, and I could no longer work under the constant deceit and manipulation. He had fooled a lot of people but as someone once said, “Wherever you go and whatever you do, the real you will eventually show up.”

According to The Word for You Today:

Character doesn’t have to be in the spotlight, excessively running the show. And it doesn’t resort to intimidation or shaming to get its own way.

Character (moral excellence; ethical quality) and integrity (honesty; doing what’s right even when no one is looking) go hand in hand. They are synonymous. You can find these traits in someone who:

• Shows consistent and decent behavior in all circumstances.
• Plays by the rules and can be relied upon.
• Offers credit where credit is due.
• Lives by faith.
• Trusts God to enable them to accomplish all that he or she was created and called to do.

Gifts, talents, and personality play a vital role in who we are but when it gets down to basics, character and integrity are always key ingredients to an abundant, blessed life.

Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net and Stuart Miles.