Word of the Day: Probity

>The word for the day, according to dictionary.com, is probity: “complete and confirmed integrity; uprightness.” I like the word, and find it even more fascinating that yesterday’s word was recherche which can mean: “uncommon; exotic; rare.”

The two words fit together nicely given current events. The question is, do they point to an absence of such quality in today’s leadership or the evidence of such remarkable qualities finally surfacing on some fronts?

Something worth considering given:

• Today’s primaries and the rapidly degenerating tone of presidential candidates on the stump
• Upcoming issues and discussion related to the General Conference of the UMC
• Candidates for bishop and the elections to be held at this year’s Jurisdictional Conferences
• The nature of our leadership at local, state, and national levels – including voices both in the business world and in the church (as a personal aside, can we someday move beyond double speak toward a consistent ethic for life?)

Let us pray for community leaders, politicians, pastors, bishops, and all who are in positions of authority and influence, that they might model recherche probity by both precept and example. Maybe then these words for the day might become virtues to embody over a lifetime.