Consistency!

November 30, 2023

Consistency!

Personal integrity is an important value to me.  One of the ways I measure a person’s and my own integrity is to pay attention to the gap between what they/I say and what they/I do.  Consistency is an important measure of integrity.

Consistency determines how much I am willing to trust you. 

Consistency determines how far I am willing to go with you.

Consistency determines how deep I can love you.

In his second letter to the church in Corinth, the Apostle Paul addresses the matter of his own (and his team’s) integrity.  The matter being questioned is whether there is consistency between what Paul writes in his letters to the church and what he says and does when he is present with the church. 

In II Corinthians 10:11 Paul writes; “Let such a person understand that what we say by letter when absent we will also do when present.”

What I write and what I do should match. 

What I profess I believe and how I perform my job should match. 

What I declare and what I accomplish should match.

Paul was writing to a church overwhelmed with conflict, pettiness, and divisions.  When that happens many of us are tempted to make everyone happy.  We want the church to be one big happy family. 

In a like manner, when there is conflict at home, at work, or in an important relationship we are tempted to make everyone happy.  We want the people about whom we care to be one big happy family.

However, when our goal is to make everyone else happy we can slip into being inconsistent with what we say and what we end up doing.  We can even be inconsistent with what we say to one person and another person or what we do for one person and another person.

Paul was concerned that the message he was sharing would not be compromised by inconsistency.  He understood that inconsistency reveals our character; i.e., a crack in our integrity. 

I lived most of my adult life with people examining and evaluating my integrity.  More specifically, people have paid a great deal of attention to the consistency of what I say and what I do, what I profess and how I live, what I proclaim and how I interact with people.

At any one time, there were hundreds and hundreds of people watching me.  Sometimes I disappointed people when I was not consistent.  Sometimes I hurt people when my words and actions did not align.  Sometimes I discouraged people when the integrity of my message and my behavior did not match.

With each failure and each regret, I paid more and more attention to being consistent.  I spent more time reading and praying the Psalms.  I spent more time in silent contemplation.  I spent more time seeking the wise counsel of a spiritual director.

As I learned more and more about living a life of holiness, I discovered that the disciplines of reading Scripture, praying, listening in silence, and being surrendered to a spiritual director helped me to be more and more consistent in what I say and what I do.

Over time, people began to see in me a godly character, a deep sense of integrity, and a consistency upon which they could depend.  I also learned something about integrity.  The consistency required is not something that is created in a moment.  Instead, consistency is grown over time as we, with the help of Jesus, navigate through the seasons when we do well and the seasons when we fail in being consistent.

I wonder if there is an situation or a relationship in your life where you would like to cultivate a more consistent presence and practice.  Maybe your integrity or character have been questioned.  Maybe your motives have been  questioned.  Maybe the consistency of your words and actions have been questioned.

Here are some things you can do if you want to be more consistent.

+Ask forgiveness of the person you have disappointed or hurt. 

+Consider why you said one thing to one person and a different thing to another person. 

+Reflect on why you said one thing in a group and did something different when no one was looking. 

+Read two verses of Psalm 37 each day and listen to what Jesus is saying to you about developing a God-honoring character.

As the inconsistencies in you become less, as the Spirit continues to grow a godly character in you, and as your personal integrity becomes more like Jesus, your heart will be filled more and more with delight.  Take a moment each day to share your delight with Jesus.

Take Delight In The Lord!

Doug

The season of Advent begins this weekend. Take some time to prepare for the coming of the Christ!