Integrity

Genesis 39 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Now Joseph was taken down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man; he was in the house of his Egyptian master. His master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lordcaused all that he did to prosper in his hands. So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him; he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had. From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the Lordblessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had, in house and field. So he left all that he had in Joseph’s charge; and, with him there, he had no concern for anything but the food that he ate.

Now Joseph was handsome and good-looking. And after a time his master’s wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.” But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, with me here, my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my hand. He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except yourself, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” And although she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not consent to lie beside her or to be with her. One day, however, when he went into the house to do his work, and while no one else was in the house, she caught hold of his garment, saying, “Lie with me!” But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside. When she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled outside, she called out to the members of her household and said to them, “See, my husband has brought among us a Hebrew to insult us! He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice; and when he heard me raise my voice and cry out, he left his garment beside me, and fled outside.” Then she kept his garment by her until his master came home, and she told him the same story, saying, “The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought among us, came in to me to insult me; but as soon as I raised my voice and cried out, he left his garment beside me, and fled outside.”

When his master heard the words that his wife spoke to him, saying, “This is the way your servant treated me,” he became enraged. And Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined; he remained there in prison. But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love; he gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer. The chief jailer committed to Joseph’s care all the prisoners who were in the prison, and whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. The chief jailer paid no heed to anything that was in Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.

There is one main theme that jumps out at me in this passage: integrity.  At the beginning, we hear about Joseph's integrity - as well as the lack of integrity of Potiphar's wife, and arguably Potiphar himself who condemned Joseph when all evidence to Joseph's good character should have told him otherwise.  And we have the integrity of God, who stays with Joseph - and true then to God's own covenant.

What IS integrity? When you hear the word, what's the definition that comes to your mind? Who is someone that has always embodied that definition for you?

One of the definitions I read says that integrity is moral uprightness, or having strong moral principles.  That I suppose can be part of it: but I've know people with strong moral principles that I'm not sure I'd say embody integrity.

Instead, the definition I prefer is "trustworthy" or engendering trust.  The word "integrity" comes from the Latin "integer," meaning "whole" or "complete."  That's it I think for me.  Living as a whole being - where what you say matches what you do.  It makes you trustworthy.  What you see is what you get.

Of course, even some of the most seemingly whole people struggle with 100% integrity.  I listened to Fr. Richard Rohr, a teacher and leader I value highly for his integrity, talk about how it is hard to live up to your principles 100% of the time because we are, after all, human and imperfect.

Unlike Joseph here! :-)

Joseph, that young lad who seemed to brag to his brothers about how they would bow to him, now seems to be a man of integrity, trustyworthiness AND high morals.  

Are we supposed to just look at Joseph as an impossible ideal? Or do we see Joseph as a man who lives into being the person God created him to be?

With integrity.

What are ways that you can see God working through you and what are ways that you live a life of integrity?

Lord of life, help me to be who you created me to be - in all I say and in all I do.  Amen.