“When dad was teaching me to drive, I remember him telling me that judgement was the most important thing in driving.” “Dad taught me that when overtaking I should always look over my shoulder and not rely solely on the rearview and wing mirrors.” These are some of the statements I occasionally hear from my children when they talk about their driving experience. And, I must confess that there is a certain degree of satisfaction that I get from hearing my children speak about the positive lessons that they have learned from me.
As parents, my wife and I were intentional in not only telling our children what was the right thing for them to do; we also tried to model it for them. For example, we always returned a supermarket shopping cart to the designated area, and would endeavor to keep to the speed limit on the road, though at times our modeling in this regards was lacking! As adults, we shape the generations that come after us for better or for worse by what we model for them. We determine if the generation after us prioritizes truthfulness, honesty, kindness and all the other virtues that we consider important by modeling these virtues.
A while back, I read the story of a father who invited his pastor to visit his home to talk with his son who had a penchant for lying. While the pastor, the father and the son were seated in the living room, the telephone rang and was answered by the father’s wife. She came to the living room and told her husband that Dave was on the phone for him. “Tell him I am not home,” was his response. The pastor then realized that it was the father who needed a lesson in truth-telling and not the son. It was clear to the pastor that the father was lacking in integrity.
Integrity is often described as being “one-faced,” meaning that a person is consistent in conduct, being the same in all circumstances. It is also illustrated by saying that what one is in the light is what they are in the dark. A person of integrity does not pretend to be what they are not. In ancient times sculptors would conceal flaws in their work with wax, passing it off as perfect when it wasn’t. When an honest sculptor presented their work to a client, they often declared, “Sine Cera,” meaning “without wax.” Can you see the relationship with the word sincere?
Jesus had no wax in His life. He was the supreme model of integrity. His hearers and those who observed his actions testified to this. “They came to him and said, ‘Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.’”(Mark 12: 14, NIV). So consistent was Jesus in ensuring that His actions aligned with His teaching that Pilate said of Him, “I find no fault in this man.” (Luke 23:4, NIV). Jesus had no wax in His life.
Our society today desperately needs people whose lives are without wax, people who are the same in the dark as they are in the light, and whose word can be taken as their bond. This is where we come in as Christians. Our “Sine Cera” lives are to permeate every aspect of society in such a manner that they present a welcome contrast to the dishonesty, subterfuge and twisting of reality that seem to be becoming the norm in our society.
Psalm 15: 3-5 captures the essence of a life without wax:
Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right,
speaking the truth from sincere hearts.
3 Those who refuse to gossip
or harm their neighbors
or speak evil of their friends.
4 Those who despise flagrant sinners,
and honor the faithful followers of the Lord,
and keep their promises even when it hurts.
5 Those who lend money without charging interest,
and who cannot be bribed to lie about the innocent.
Such people will stand firm forever.
Let’s clear the wax from our lives and live as people of integrity, in the hope that our lives will be a model for our generation and the ones to come.