A person’s possessions and belongings comprise tangible and intangible things. The ‘touch and feel’ things are acquired and achieved through pursuit and hard work. The intangible things are inherently endowed and striven towards by a different focus; a focus that is more towards the REAL things that make up character- (the real person). 
Integrity is one of those intangible possessions. You either have it or you don’t and as is the characteristics of intangible possessions they announce a person’s arrival much louder and longer than the physical, mundane things.
Integrity is defined by many dictionaries as a quality; a quality of being honest and possessing strong moral principles.
I particularly like this description of the word- being internally consistent.
This is a rare and not so desired quality these days. However it is one that sets an individual apart and forms part of a person’s wealth. The bible describes the children of this man as blessed when they follow in his footsteps.
“The godly walk with integrity; blessed are their children who follow them.”
Proverbs 20:7 NLT
http://bible.com/116/pro.20.7.nlt
So as parents when we live our lives with integrity, we lay certain examples for our children to follow and imprint on their hearts a strong value. We also leave with them something worth influencing their world by as well as something they can pass down to their own children.
But it begins with how we live and make decisions; even the smallest ones. Sometimes, the ones we make under pressure.
The journey of parenting is one of consistency on almost every level. We do tend to slip sometimes because none of us is perfect. Nonetheless, keeping at it is more important than being indifferent. Albeit, both have consequences.
I find that weighing my decisions in front of my children outside our home where there are other people, puts my integrity to the test more than anything. They are observing how consistent mummy is with simple things like “praying before a meal at home and praying before a meal when eating out at a restaurant”. On occasions like these, my integrity and value system is put to the test regardless of how convenient it seems or doesn’t seem. I get to add another block to the value systems of my children.
What about you?
What are your thoughts about integrity as a mother or father? How does it impact your conscious parenting?
