Solid Footing

 April 8, 2021

Integrity. “What you see is what you get” is perhaps one of the best colloquial definitions of the word, but it misses an important component: the moral and ethical imperative. Billy Graham had integrity; Billy the Kid did not. 

“Vindicate me, O LORD, For I have walked in my integrity. I have also trusted in the LORD; I shall not slip. Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; Try my mind and my heart.

“But as for me, I will walk in my integrity; Redeem me and be merciful to me. My foot stands in an even place; In the congregations I will bless the LORD.” —Psalm 26:1-2, 11-12 

Psalm 26 begins and ends with a meditation on integrity. He begins by claiming to have it, even challenging God to test him on the matter—a noble gesture, but one that may have opened up a can of worms he wasn’t prepared to handle. By the end of the psalm, he has been examined by the Lord, and instead of claiming to have walked in integrity, asks for redemption and mercy  to be able to do so. If my personal experience is any measure, this pattern is pretty true to life.

The psalm highlights an important but easily overlooked facet: Integrity enables one to take a firm stand for what is good and right; our feet shall not slip, we stand in an even place. Integrity gives us a solid footing for life, which is not only good for us, but for those who depend on us. If I am going to be the man, the Christian, the husband, father, and grandfather I need to be, I need to be able to stand not only for me, but also for those who depend on or look to me. Integrity is not merely a private or personal matter; it affects others by its presence or absence. 

I wish I could claim to have always acted with complete integrity, but God knows my mind and heart, and my need for redemption and mercy. Fortunately, redemption and mercy are, through the sacrifice of Christ, God’s specialty. My footing has not always been solid and secure, but with Christ’s help, it slips less and less; the ground beneath my feet is even, and I am thankful each day for the grace and mercy of Christ, the Solid Rock on which I stand.