The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity (Proverbs 11:3).

We so often treat transparency as naïveté and integrity as religiosity.  Games like chess and poker teach us the skill of misdirection and disconnection between our thoughts and our outward appearances; and these skills seem to be directly transferable into the realm of business, relationships, and even faith.  The "winners" are the ones who come up with a strategy, keep everyone else guessing at what their strategy might be (often even employing clever use of misleading information), and then execute their strategy at the decisive moment.  The "losers" are the ones who wear their hearts on their shirt-sleeves and open themselves up for a pot-shot in the most vulnerable areas of their lives.

But the Proverbs say that the integrity of the upright guides them -- while the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.

I've wrestled with these different approaches to honesty and integrity, particularly in the area of leadership -- and I've ultimately decided that I want to be known for integrity... even if that means that I will get burned a few times because of it.  Power dynamics can be a funny thing -- a confusing, emotional, agonizing thing -- but I'm learning to rest in the promise of Proverbs 11:3.  Whenever I notice someone jockeying for position, struggling to gain leverage in a given situation, I try to remind myself that the integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.  In the moment, it can feel like I'm the one who's about to be destroyed if I lay all my cards on the table and make myself completely transparent; it can feel completely vulnerable.  But over time, I'm seeing that there really is a beauty, a power, and a clarity that comes with complete openness and honesty.  It works out to be surprisingly disarming, when you play it straight in the midst of a lot of scheming and sneakery.  It takes away confusion and builds trust in its place.  It provides guidance -- just as the Proverb says.