Integrity

Integrity is the state of being whole or undivided. So much of our world nowadays is exactly the opposite of this. Think about it for a moment and you'll see that this is true. Many people in the U.S. are so focused on themselves and on their getting ahead that they become alienated from all others - they become fractionated and dis-integrated. Thus, our search for health, wellness and wholeness becomes a search for integrity. How can we become integrated again? Integrated with one another and fully connected to a narrative much larger and wiser than ourselves? I was speaking with my Pastor the other day and he asked me what I thought about the section in Matthew that talks about people being salt and light. I gave him my answer and I said that I was struck that the term "salt of the earth" had fallen from our lexicon. Tim (my pastor) said, "I'm wondering if there is an equivalent phrase in today's world that reflects the sentiment of 'salt of the earth'?" We couldn't come up with anything. It's instructive, I think, that our culture has strayed so far away from the sacred and its positive influence on our lives, that we don't even know what's missing! thus we become dis-integrated. Re-integrating ourselves will be a long and intentional process. It will require guides and accountability. It will also require that we begin to see things differently and to desire to develop integrity. When we do, we will also recapture purpose and meaning in our lives - something that we've also misplaced along the journey. This weekend, take a good long look at your life. To what are you integrated and how is that integration affecting your worldview? Seeking integrity in your life will lead to the wholeness that we all seek (whether we realize this or not). Peace for the journey, Dan