Sabbath Devotional: Personal Integrity
- Megan Rawlins Woods
- Aug 17
- 4 min read
Updated: Sep 4
Over the years, I have thought often about Frederick Douglass’ description of the injury done to the souls of his oppressors. Speaking of his “mistress,” he wrote, “Slavery proved as injurious to her as it did to me. When I went there, she was a pious, warm, and tender-hearted woman. . .. Slavery soon proved its ability to divest her of these heavenly qualities. Under its influence, the tender heart became stone, and the lamb-like disposition gave way to one of tiger-like fierceness.”
This description of one woman is a metaphor for what happened to the entire nation as it allowed or engaged in slavery. Sometimes we live in environments that chip away at our moral core without us even realizing it is happening. I am afraid that this is happening to us now. Human nature makes it easier to see hardening in others than it is to see it in ourselves.
How would you define integrity? To me it means being consistent, possessing qualities that people can count on regardless of the circumstances of your life.
A few scriptures help me to understand aspects of integrity:
“And again, verily I say unto you, blessed is my servant Hyrum Smith; for I, the Lord, love him because of the integrity of his heart, and because he loveth that which is right before me, saith the Lord” (Doctrine and Covenants 124:15).
“The just man walketh in his integrity” (Proverbs 20:7).
“Judge me, O Lord; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the Lord; therefore I shall not slide” (Psalm 26:1).
“God forbid that I should justify you: till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me” (Job 27:5).
From these few verses, I learn that integrity is loving righteousness and justice but refusing justification. It is trusting in the Lord and enduring in that trust to the end.
In a deeply troubling political environment, how can I maintain integrity? I think one answer is to remember that I am not immune to the effects of my culture and I need to actively and intentionally work to not let it determine who I am. I do not want to allow a hardening culture to change me, my family or my friends. We have to hold on to our kindness, love, compassion, and care. It isn’t just that this will affect how we treat others, our own wellbeing depends on it.
And that means being consistent in our love — no matter the political beliefs or actions of another. It means being consistent in our quest for justice. I cannot justify allowing my personal integrity to slide by supporting efforts from one political team that I would not support in another.
There is a story in the Book of Mormon that includes this logic: “for if their wine would poison a Lamanite it would also poison a Nephite” (Alma 55:32). In a democracy, the means matter as much as the end. If an action would corrupt a Republican, it would also corrupt a Democrat, and vice versa.
Corruption breeds corruption. When we see corruption on one side of the political aisle, we justify it on our own side. But if no one is playing by the rules, corruption wins. Once we justify sliding from a place of loyalty to principles and processes, where will we be?
When speaking about how we maintain political standards, while still prioritizing our relationships and moral well-being, President Dallin H. Oaks advises, “Being subject to presidents or rulers of course poses no obstacle to our opposing individual laws or policies. It does require that we exercise our influence civilly and peacefully within the framework of our constitutions and applicable laws. On contested issues, we should seek to moderate and unify.”
I am so grateful for this group that has taught me how to exercise my influence civilly and peacefully. In the last few years, I have learned about the framework of our constitution and government. I have learned to stand up for ethics, regardless of who is in power. Participating here has changed me for the better and helped me identify what principles are essential for me to maintain my own integrity. Our democracy absolutely depends on ethical leaders and processes to counter corruption. I believe that our efficacy will only increase if we continue to do things differently — to stay true to our principles even when it might seem advantageous to lower them.
And we need to be incredibly careful about how we pass judgement on others in this difficult period. President Oaks reminds us, “We encourage our members to refrain from judging one another in political matters. We should never assert that a faithful Latter-day Saint cannot belong to a particular party or vote for a particular candidate. We teach correct principles and leave our members to choose how to prioritize and apply those principles on the issues presented from time to time.”
So as a leader of MWEG, I just want to share with you all that I am trying hard to practice what I preach. I am determined to love my neighbors, even when I might find that hard. I am determined to support ethical government practices and processes, even when the cost is high. I would say, especially when the cost is high. This is essential to me in keeping my moral core and integrity intact.
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Megan Rawlins Woods is the nonpartisan root senior director at Mormon Women for Ethical Government.
