“Does wisdom call out?...For those who find me find life and receive favor from the LORD.” (Proverbs 8:1, 35)

We live in a world where we often feel like life has become topsy-turvey, as if we have fallen through the proverbial rabbit hole in Lewis Carroll’s Alice and Wonderland. I often find myself praying for the ability to see things more from heaven’s viewpoint.  I am comforted by the truth that God’s viewpoint, his judgments and actions are holy:

 “There is no one holy like the Lord…” (1 Samuel 2:2)

 “And they were calling to one another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.’” (Isaiah 6:3)

” … Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.” (Revelations 4:8)

 “Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his holy mountain, for the Lord our God is holy.” (Psalm 99:9)

So how should it impact us that we are saved, redeemed and called by a holy God?

But like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves in all your conduct [be set apart from the world by your godly character and moral courage] because it is written, “YOU SHALL BE HOLY (set apart), FOR I AM HOLY.” If you address as Father, the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in [reverent] fear [of Him] and with profound respect for Him throughout the time of your stay on earth. (1 Peter 1:15-17 AMP)

A hymn that always brings emotions to my heart is “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing", written in 1757. The third verse captures a deep yearning:

Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,

Bind my wandering heart to Thee.

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,

Prone to leave the God I love;

Here's my heart, O take and seal it,

Seal it for Thy courts above.

Make a Memorial

I do not want to wander from the God who reached, redeemed, and transformed me and created a godly family legacy. Out of this desire, I have made it a habit to gather mementos of my intent to walk in integrity to keep the character of God’s holiness and his call on our lives front and center of my own life. In the Old Testament, God called his people to build altars to remind them of everything he'd done for them.

One example is after the people of Israel supernaturally crossed the Jordan River to enter the Promised Land:

So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’  tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.” (Joshua 4:4-7)

God commanded these memorials to be made to pass on belief and faith in God to the next generation. We want to reflect to our children and grandchildren that the Creator God is holy, faithful, true, and his edicts and judgments are righteous. I taught my children that: Integrity is who you are when no one is looking—except God.

What’s On Your Desk?

On my desk, I display my own personal alter of remembrance to cast the importance of living a life worthy of his calling:

The Umbrella: I have a figurine with a beach umbrella to remind me to stay under God's umbrella of blessing. In the margin of my art Bible is “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” (Proverbs 30:5) I doodled out a cartoon of Bill and me under a colorful umbrella as a reminder that I want the blessings that come with living out the Word.

 "He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity." (Proverbs 2:7 ESV)

The Heart: I also have a collection of heart-shaped rocks, paperweights, and trinket boxes to capture a desire to seek God with a whole and pure heart.

 "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." (Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)

The Compass: A compass points to God as my True North when I need direction. This symbol reminds me to prioritize God’s voice, God’s leading over all other voices.

 "The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them." (Proverbs 11:3 ESV)

The Photos: Framed pictures of my family, friends, and mentees to prompt me to recall that every choice affects those I love. When I am tempted to step out from God's will, I picture myself having to own up to some sin or failure to all those faces. I much prefer spending my time pouring positives into those lives instead of unraveling negative consequences I created by my own selfishness or rebellion.

"The righteous who walks in his integrity— blessed are his children after him!" (Proverbs 20:7 ESV)

The Turtle: I keep a clay turtle, and I give one to each woman I mentor, as a symbol of integrity. I ask, “If you see a turtle on a fence post, what should you ask? How did it get there? Turtles cannot climb atop a post, someone had to put the turtle there. In the same way, God placed each of us on our platform of influence, and if we turn our back on him and his principles, God can remove us (even for a season) from ministry. 1 Peter 5:6 indicates, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time.”

"Whoever walks in integrity will be delivered, but he who is crooked in his ways will suddenly fall." (Proverbs 28:18 ESV)

The Frame: The last memorial on my desk is a frame filled with Bible verses. Under this glass frame, I see the commands and promises of blessings if l obey. What people do not see are the articles I have placed behind those verses about leaders who have spiraled out of control and crashed their lives, ministries, marriages, and children's lives. When I see that frame, I say to myself, “Seek to be the blessings on the front not the headlines on the back.”

"The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight, but the wicked falls by his own wickedness." (Proverbs 11:5 (ESV)

The Notebook: One day while researching for this study on wisdom, I inscribed in cursive in a special art notebook of black paper, writing in white ink, all the verses in Proverbs about integrity. I gathered pages and pages of instruction accompanied by motivating blessings and benefits! (My friend, Lisa Saruga, used a black notebook, writing in white pen, for her quiet times after she was brutally attacked. Writing scripture in white moved her healing forward out of darkness into God’s light and life. Now she raises funds for her ministry to victims of violence by selling these sets. You will find that contact information and a worksheet of extra resources on www.discoveringthebibleseries.com so you can do your own study of these verses on integrity, uprightness, righteousness and wisdom.)

"Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor." (Proverbs 21:21 ESV)

If there is one major theme in the book of Proverbs, it is wisdom is achieved by a step-by-step, pursuit of integrity, and each step brings you closer to God and the blessings of walking with him.

Whoever walks in integrity walks securely… (Proverbs 10:9)

Let’s commit to living a life to reflect the holiness of God. What will you place on your desk, on your wall, or in your bible to reflect your desire to walk a life of integrity?

Pam Farrel is an international speaker, coach and the author of 60 books including bestselling Men Are Like Waffles, Women Are Like Spaghetti, 7 Simple Skills for Every Woman, (which part of this article is an excerpt), and her newest is Discovering Wisdom in Proverbs: A Creative Bible Study Experience (co-authored with Jean E Jones and Karla Dornacher) which features devotionals by Pam on themes in the book of Proverbs, including integrity and God’s favor. The Discovering the Bible Creative Bible Study series includes five award-winning and bestselling studies. www.Love-Wise.com