While growing up, no one seemed to be able to define the word integrity. The closest anyone got was, “It means being honest, but even more.” Something like that. In April 1990, Joseph B. Wirthlin gives a complete definition.

“Always doing what is right and good, regardless of the immediate consequences. It means being righteous from the very depth of our soul, not only in our actions but, more importantly, in our thoughts and in our hearts.”

That makes me think of our Book of Mormon reading this week as we read the Beatitudes in 3 Nephi 12. It isn’t good enough to say the right thing. Our hearts have to be in the right place and our actions do goodness even when no one else sees it.

My husband and I have recently had several discussions on the state of wickedness in this world. We’re hoping the world is wicked enough that the Lord will come reall-lllll-lly soon. Is that bad? Maybe we’re not the only ones.

Once, we discussed if people recognize how wicked they really are, or if they are too far gone to see. That made us think of the anti-Christs in the Book of Mormon. Each one of them confessed that they knew exactly what they were doing the whole time. They blamed it on the devil, but they always knew the difference between good and evil.

Elder Wirthlin further describes integrity,

“Integrity, a firm adherence to the highest moral and ethical standards, is essential to the life of a true Latter-day Saint.”

Sadly, that reminds me of what we’ve all heard before. Utah has a reputation for being the “fraud capital of the world.” I don’t think that’s true anymore, but why would it ever be true? If you can’t trust a “Mormon,” who can you trust, right? Unfortunately, we are all human, therefore, we are all perpetrators and all victims to one another.

Our prophet has told us that our greatest objective right now is to be spiritually in tune. It is only through the spirit we will know how and when to act, as we prepare for the Lord’s coming. This cannot be faked. We either hear His whisperings and see the signs, or we don’t.

As we practice now to build this spiritual reservoir the integrity we gain as a result “is the confidence it can give us in approaching God.” Elder Wirthlin continues, “When we are doing what is right, we will not feel timid and hesitant about seeking divine direction. We will know the Lord will answer our prayers and help us in our need.”

We need our Savior every day, from here on out. Earth life just keeps getting tougher and tougher. May our hearts be in the right place so integrity can form the path the spirit will follow into our very souls.