Inner Integrity

I’ve always liked the word “integrity”. I like the meaning even more. The word integrity is defined as “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles, moral uprightness.” In my world inner integrity is one of the most important things a person can consider. It means being honest with ourselves and standing strong on the principles we deeply believe in and strive to adhere to. We might fall short a time or maybe two, but integrity as a compass will always drive us to the most honest outer experience we could have.

In a world where we deal with an element of “fakehood” every single day, integrity is a treasure both inside and outside of ourselves. Back in my earliest spirituality days my biggest prayer was always to be my true self and honest about who that is. When I fall short of myself, I know I have nowhere to look accept myself. The best part of this reality is no one else can determine who or what I should be. No one else can determine my moral compass or how I react, act, or deal with my outer world. There can be plenty of opinions of what I might be or not be, but bottom line, my full identity belongs to myself and God. Only the great Universal and most loving spiritual force inside and out can ever truly have the highest opinion of who and whose I am.

Other opinions are just plain irrelevant. Who else but God can see the inner-most working of my heart? I always loved the guiding words, “If I should wake and find myself sitting in darkness, it will be my God who will shine the Light and guide me through.”  What or who else could ever be my true compass? The miracle is, if God is my only true compass then no one else is qualified to completely guide me anywhere. God inside of me can guide me and qualify me. When I fall short, Grace will qualify me. When I forget my compass Forgiveness will qualify me. When I make willful mistakes then Discipline will also qualify me. When I am lost and alone then Love will qualify me.

This way, no one else can determine my rightness or wrongness. God and I determine this. Lofty thoughts, I know. Sometimes lofty thoughts are needed. Sometimes they are life savers in the making. After all, our thoughts create and guide. Since this is true then lofty thoughts will guide to higher places. I’d rather be there than any inner low place of less integrity.

Life is precious; created for us and also by us. Time is irrelevant, really, but linear time is not something to waste on what is less than what any of us deserve in life. Inner integrity tells us what we do or don’t deserve. I’m thinking I deserve the best and I am sticking with that thought. I know it will drive me to the best. It can’t help it, because, remember, our thoughts create.

Loving you from here,

Dr Jenine Marie