Nicky Gumble picks up on this famous quote by Marquez told to his biographer Gerald Martin. Gumble writes about the relationship of an integrated life to holiness and wholeness:
Holiness is about living an integrated life, rather than a dis-integrated one. Holiness is where there is no difference between our public, private, and secret lives and no difference between what we profess and what we practice. Holiness is linked to wholeness. When God calls you to be holy, He is saying “be wholly mine.”
People want authenticity; we want to be authentic – or at least get away with passing for being authentic – but the truly authentic life is the integration of our public, private, and secret lives in such a way that we are whole within the holiness of God – that is to say – we are “wholly God’s.”
Billy Graham said,
Integrity is the glue that holds our way of life together. We must constantly strive to keep our integrity intact. When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost.
- What have you learned about holiness and wholeness?
- Against popular culture’s depiction of in-authentic christians, how have you lived out your spiritual journey in Christ?
- What does it mean to you to be authentic in a disintegrating culture where the public, private, and secret lives are often lived in self contradiction?
- What is the relationship between character, integrity, and authenticity?
Curriculum of the Spiritual Life 