Devotion: The Integrity Question
The Integrity Question
“Mirror, mirror, on the wall. Who’s the fairest of them all?”
“Thou, O, Queen art the fairest in the land.”
Stroking her self inflated ego, the queen asks the mirror daily if she is the fairest in the land. One day, the mirror replies, “Snow White, O queen, is the fairest of them all.” Angry, the queen sets out to destroy Snow White, because she cannot look in the mirror and face the truth about herself.
“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I remember repeating these words in the Confession and Forgiveness section of the Lutheran Book of Worship. We are quite good at rationalizing and deceiving ourselves when we look in the mirror.
My husband, Mike, and I were Marriage Encounter presenters a number of years ago. One of the first talks we were assigned to write about for the weekend was to identify the masks we wear to make ourselves more presentable to others. Maybe it was the mask of the overachiever, the intellect, the leader, the accomplished, or the talented. We usually have several masks that we interchange when needed for certain situations. Our masquerade feeds our egos and gets us the acceptance from others that we crave. Being dishonest, our masks compel us to ignore our relationships or become short-sighted about other’s needs because we have to keep up our pretense and loyalty to our mask. Until we were truthful with ourselves, we could not be our honest, authentic selves with our partners. That was the first step to letting our walls down and having a deeper, loving marriage relationship.
In Andy Stanley’s book “Better Decisions, Fewer Regrets”, he challenges us to quit lying to ourselves. Most of us know better but we become quite good at justifying and rationalizing our actions. Out of this becomes our regrettable decisions whether they were self-imposed or influenced by others.
Here lies the integrity question: Am I being honest with myself?
If we don’t like what we see in the mirror, then there’s hope. It’s time to take steps to keep our deceitful hearts in check as outlined in Stanley’s book.
- Admit it. Look yourself truthfully in the mirror and identify the uncomfortable fact or facts about yourself you don’t like.
- Ask it: “Am I really being honest with myself?”
- Be curious. Ask yourself why you’re feeling what you’re feeling.
By being really honest with yourself, it will be much harder to be dishonest with anyone else. By doing that, it will be liberating and empowering. You will feel free to make better choices and have fewer regrets.
“Mirror, mirror, on the wall. Who’s the fairest of them all?”
“Myself, when I am honest with myself even though I don’t like facing the truth.”
Merciful Father,
Thank you for knowing the real me and still loving me. Help me to face the truth when I don’t like what I see. Forgive me when I am dishonest and deceive myself. Guide me to making better decisions with fewer regrets. Amen
Written by Janece Nelson
Please read Jeremiah 17:1,5-10 and Luke 16:10-13 to learn more about the deceitful heart and the question of integrity.
Janece and husband, Mike, have been members of Sheridan for more than twelve years. Janece is a retired mathematics instructor teaching at the middle school and college level. They are blessed with two children and three grandchildren.
Janece finds her greatest joy in spending time with her family and friends. Her passion is writing devotions for patients in hospitals and rehabs she sees every Monday as a Sheridan hospital visitor. As a Teammate she also mentors girls at Boys Town. Janece credits Faith Builders and Companions in Christ for her spiritual growth.