Ken Follet, author of the great novel "Pillars of the earth", makes a point in the sequel, "World without end": "Integrity is like a sword, you shouldn't wave it until you are about to put it to the test. Its when you want so badly to do something wrong ... that's when you need the rules". That reminds me of a haunting moment in Schindler's list. Amon Goetz, whilst whiling away a sundowning moment taking mindless potshots at the helpless Jewish inmates of his prison camp, says to Oscar Schindler, "See how much power I have".
In reply, Schindler states, "Real power is knowing you can kill who you want to and choosing not to."
In reply, Schindler states, "Real power is knowing you can kill who you want to and choosing not to."
Integrity is what happens in the shadows where no one is watching.
Methinks that sooner or later great men like Paul or Jesus and other biblical characters, moved well beyond human approval into that ethereal realm where they simply did not care what people felt - they just pesisted in doing what had to be done. That may be the point where real integrity kicks in - where we stop doing church for the sake of others and we stop dancing for the piper and we desist from managing perceptions or the trouping of our symbols.
That is when we become true to ourselves and the call of God. That is when we set our eyes aflint toward the Jerusalem of our lives. That is when we start to live for a greater cause, driven not by our pains, greeds or inadequacies, but by the battle cries of heaven ... to become history makers.
Methinks that sooner or later great men like Paul or Jesus and other biblical characters, moved well beyond human approval into that ethereal realm where they simply did not care what people felt - they just pesisted in doing what had to be done. That may be the point where real integrity kicks in - where we stop doing church for the sake of others and we stop dancing for the piper and we desist from managing perceptions or the trouping of our symbols.
That is when we become true to ourselves and the call of God. That is when we set our eyes aflint toward the Jerusalem of our lives. That is when we start to live for a greater cause, driven not by our pains, greeds or inadequacies, but by the battle cries of heaven ... to become history makers.
(c) Peter Eleazar @ www.4u2live.net
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