Integrity comes from the same root word as integer (a whole number), and man is at his best when he is whole and complete as one in mind, body, spirit, and action. Perhaps more importantly, mind, body, spirit, and action must be connected to each other and connected to God.
Shakespeare said, “This above all, to thine own self be true, and it shall follow, as night follows day, thou cannot be false to any man.” Most people are all too familiar with others whose words and deeds don’t match: who can talk a good game, but not play it, or who talk the talk, but don’t walk the walk. This is usually part of a larger problem of lacking integrity. Spiritual connection to God should lead to a spiritual connection with our minds and emotions, which should in turn lead to a mental and emotional connection to our bodies and words and actions.
In this way, God infuses everything we feel and believe and say and do. We may not talk about God all the time, but He should be evident in how we live. Just as the heavens declare God’s glory wordlessly, a strong, silent man can often declare God’s glory with just a “word fitly spoken” as well as a gregarious, talkative man can with “just a cup of cold water.” They both need integrity of thought and deed.