Integrity is an essential part of who you are and the way others see you. It is the part of character that resonates most clearly when important decisions or actions are taken. Integrity is the substance of the personal moral fabric (ethics and values of character) that we display and live in our daily public and private lives. It is actually a spiritual quality and motive that colors all our activities and especially how we treat others.

We cannot really change our character the way we change clothes for each activity. One character for business, one for school, one for sports, one for family or home, and another for fly-fishing. Who and what you are is always fundamentally the same.

The inherent character of Christ Jesus—his moral and spiritual values, the substance of who he was—remained consistent at all times. Yet those who thought of themselves as "righteous" and more "deserving" than others experienced his character as a stinging rebuke. On the other hand, those people seeking help were healed of sinfulness and sickness by the same character that they felt as "loving" and "compassionate." How could this be?

Describing Jesus' ministry, Mary Baker Eddy writes in Science and Health, "He did life's work aright not only in justice to himself, but in mercy to mortals..." (p. 18).

A question we need to ponder is, "Am I living my own life in justice to myself?" Am I living the quality of life that is just and honorable to the person I know I can be?

What is it that sometimes keeps us from "living" a life "in justice" to ourselves? It may be fear. Fear of being different, fear of being noticed, fear of others not liking us or not wanting us around. In Second Timothy 1:7, however, we read, "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." It is wise to remember that God called His people a "peculiar people," meaning different, set apart, belonging to Him and not to ourselves (see Deut. 14:2). People with purpose often are "set apart" for their vision and direction.

One of my military heroes, George C. Marshall, lived the adage "Speak truth to power." Once, as a young captain serving in France in 1917, he confronted the commanding general to the horror of his fellow officers. These officers were certain that this was the "end of Marshall," but General Pershing listened to him and later made him his aide. President Roosevelt would select him because of his character to be Chief of Staff of the Army ahead of others his senior. George Marshall's character was seen most clearly in his Marshall Plan, which went against the notion of "war reparations" and sought to rebuild Europe after World War II.

This is the type of integrity that expresses "moral courage." Moral courage is fearless and active in pronouncing truth. Yet it also shows the qualities of tenderness, gentleness, and compassion. These qualities are examples of possessing a spirit "of power, and of love" in balance—not one quality to the exclusion of others. Such moral courage includes a pure motive of helping, uplifting, or healing. It is not self-righteous or self-aggrandizing.

When we express integrity, it uplifts others and reminds them of who they are and what they are capable of being. It has the underlying spiritual motive of love—loving God, loving mankind, and accepting our calling to be instruments of God's love in the world.

I am often inspired by God's calling of Jeremiah into His service (see Jer. 1:4–19). God reveals to Jeremiah that he was called before birth, before he was "formed ... in the belly" or created, to be an agent of God's calling. God would send him to many people to proclaim His truth. God tells Jeremiah not to be "afraid of their faces" for He is with him. God promises, "I have put my words in thy mouth." Then he gives Jeremiah the mission that includes "to pull down, and to destroy" what would stand against God's will, and also "to build, and to plant." Jeremiah's task was to live with integrity and to establish integrity among his people. And even though this was anything but easy—he was even imprisoned for a time—he did not give up.

Science and Health puts it simply: "Honesty is spiritual power" (p. 453). There is no person or agency that can diminish the spiritual power of truth spoken and lived. Such power is the genius of the teachings Christ Jesus lived in a life where inspired Christianity directs every action.

We all can live in justice to our calling as children of God, applying the teachings of Jesus to each and every facet of our lives. This is the way of genuine integrity. It is who God created each of us to be, and who God knows us to be, right now.