Integrity
#Integrity is important to our lives and relationships. We don’t have to be ‘perfect’ to have integrity.
The famed biblical story of the Queen of Sheba meeting King Solomon illustrates ‘integrity’. [Just sharing excerpts below]:
“𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘩𝘦𝘣𝘢 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘯'𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘦, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘑𝘦𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴... 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘚𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥. 𝘚𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴; 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳. [𝟸 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝟿:𝟷,𝟸]
After interacting with Solomon, she saw for herself not only did he live up to his reputation, but after seeing how well he lived and treated those around him she said this:
“𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨, “𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦! 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴. 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘥, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘦; 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘐 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥.“ [𝟸 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝟿:𝟻,𝟼]
Solomon wasn’t ‘perfect’ nor prideful. He didn’t sell himself as being someone he wasn’t in reality, nor tried to fulfill people’s expectations of him. His integrity established his great reputation - which others genuinely experienced when they interacted with him. He was... “The Real Deal”!
We determine our reputations based upon our interactions with others. The more we choose to live with integrity, the greater our interactions and reputations will be!
- Anothen
The famed biblical story of the Queen of Sheba meeting King Solomon illustrates ‘integrity’. [Just sharing excerpts below]:
“𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘩𝘦𝘣𝘢 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘯'𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘦, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘑𝘦𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴... 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘚𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥. 𝘚𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴; 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳. [𝟸 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝟿:𝟷,𝟸]
After interacting with Solomon, she saw for herself not only did he live up to his reputation, but after seeing how well he lived and treated those around him she said this:
“𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨, “𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦! 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴. 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘥, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘦; 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘐 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥.“ [𝟸 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝟿:𝟻,𝟼]
Solomon wasn’t ‘perfect’ nor prideful. He didn’t sell himself as being someone he wasn’t in reality, nor tried to fulfill people’s expectations of him. His integrity established his great reputation - which others genuinely experienced when they interacted with him. He was... “The Real Deal”!
We determine our reputations based upon our interactions with others. The more we choose to live with integrity, the greater our interactions and reputations will be!
- Anothen
