Joyce Meyer, a prominent author and speaker, recently shared how her personal experiences have shaped her understanding of excellence and integrity. She, who could not attend Bible college due to family commitments, revealed that her spiritual education came through everyday life. “I always say I went to the school of the Holy Spirit, and He literally taught me in my daily life the principles that I teach now,” she remarked.
She recalled a significant memory from her early years when she faced financial difficulties while grocery shopping. “I clearly remember I’ve got all my silly little grocery store stories… getting things in my cart early on and then realizing I didn’t have enough money to pay for all of it,” she explained. In the midst of this, she felt a divine prompt to return the items to their original spots in the store. “Well, nobody but Him would know if I did or I didn’t,” she said. “But He was trying to teach me to be excellent, not just to be mediocre or sloppy.”
She further described how the Holy Spirit guided her thinking by asking, “If you owned this store, what would you want somebody to do?” she noted that this thought brought her back to the golden rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
She emphasized the significance of living with integrity, reminding listeners that “if we’re living for Him and before Him, like He sees everything, there’s nothing He doesn’t see.” She quoted a passage from the Bible, stating, “The Bible says someday it’s all going to come out in the open.”
In conclusion, she highlighted the inseparable nature of excellence and integrity, saying, “That’s why excellence and integrity go so hand in hand. You can’t have one without the other.”
Through her reflection, she encourages others to live with integrity and pursue excellence in all areas of life, aware that all actions are seen by a higher power.
