I have golfed once and it exhausted me! After tromping around twelve holes with my father with six more to go, I was tired. So at each hole thereafter, following my initial shot, I picked up my ball and moved it to a strategic spot before whacking it again. I’m sure Tiger Woods never tried that! By the time we finished 18 holes, I was not only fatigued, but I realized one main thing: golf takes focus.
In the same way that golf requires focus, achieving any goal requires focus too. To have focus means I keep my eye on my goal, which means I keep distractions out. I can keep distractions out by maintaining a calendar; I can keep them out by identifying my priorities—and I can keep them out by holding fast to integrity. When I maintain integrity, I won’t be distracted by a guilty conscience. Therefore, I will be able to focus solely on the goal before me.
According to Webster’s Dictionary, to have integrity means that all the pieces of who I am are integrated. It means I am in “the quality or state of being complete or undivided: completeness.” Therefore, to hold fast to integrity—and therefore to maintain focus—means that like a jigsaw puzzle, all the pieces of who I am are blended into a harmonious whole. I don't say one thing, then do something else. I don’t speak against gossip, then slander my neighbor. I don’t say that dishonest business deals are wrong, but then engage in them myself. Instead, all the pieces of who I am are integrated into a cohesive whole without anything hidden in the dark.
If I lack integrity, I will be in a state of incompleteness or being divided against myself—which means I will lack focus. I won’t be able to move forward with determination in the same way as someone with integrity. Do you want to maintain focus to accomplish that to which God has called you? Take your life before Him and ask, “Lord, is there any area in which I need to increase my obedience or my holiness? Show me how I can do your will and fulfill my purpose by holding fast to integrity.”
