From the Closet to the Pulpit

Private victories precede public victories. What you do in private defines who you are. The closet is a place of formation, the pulpit is a place of showbiz. Many people are saints in public but beasts in private. We have a persona we display before the people to make ourselves likeable but in our private moments we are something totally different.

We grew up with phrases like Sunday Best, creating good first impressions and the like. While impressions are good and helpful, what is more important and lasting is character and integrity. When you develop and display integrity, you don’t have to worry about impressions because they will come naturally for you.

Many have defined integrity in different terms but for me integrity simply means that my thoughts, intentions, words and actions are aligned and consistent. I am not one type of person to this crowd and a different person in another crowd. I do not mean that I shouldn’t play my different roles with what is required. What I want to put across is that whatever I am doing, there needs to be clarity and consistency in terms of my values. Values mean nothing if they can be adapted and discarded as you deem fit. You cannot be a flip-flopper.

In today’s world we hear about closet gays, lesbians as an example. You might not believe it but we have many people who are closeted in their respective areas of fault. If we were to pull back the curtains and see what goes on behind the scenes, we would be surprised at what we would see. There are many closet alcoholics and drug addicts, closet fornicators and adulterers, closet liars who will lie through their teeth if it will get them out of a sticky situation, closet corrupt people who will seize whatever opportunity comes their way.

There’s a classmate I had back in college who had a T-shirt which had the caption-Virginity is not dignity, it is lack of opportunity. While I don’t agree entirely with this statement, there is a segment of people for whom this is applicable. The question I have for you is, are you an inherently decent person or are you conditioned by lack of opportunity and societal expectations? Some of us haven’t been named in corruption scandals simply because we are not at the table where deals are happening. Given the opportunity, we would end up worse than those we point fingers at. It disappoints to see some people blowing the whistle on abuse of office and such other vices only to end up behaving in the same way once they are given the chance. Many Whistleblowers; especially on the political arena speak up only because the corruption isn’t benefitting them. Give them a seat at the table and the chest-thumping stops.

We have rules for everyone else but ourselves. We want others to toe the line but excuse ourselves and give room for error. If you deserve a chance to make things right after slipping up, the same chance should be given to others as well. It doesn’t make sense to demand of others what you are not willing to do. It is a lack of integrity to expect others to follow set rules while you as the enforcer are doing the opposite. It is pharisaic to ask others to do what you tell them without looking at what you are doing. The English call it preaching water and drinking wine.

My question to all who are reading this is; who are you in the closet? Does it match with your words and actions in public? Do you like the person you are in the closet? If we take the mask off, will we like what we see? How can you bridge the gap between the man in the closet and the man on the pulpit?

Speaking of the pulpit, I am not referring to that place where the preacher stands to deliver a sermon. I am talking about the public square where you and I perform to the audience that is watching us. About the place you report to for work daily. I am speaking about the way you act when your boss is around. About the way you behave when your children are watching, when you are in the presence of your parents or other figures of authority.

It is my submission that if you aren’t proud enough of what you are doing that you are ready to do it no matter who is around, then there is still a gap between your closet and your pulpit. I write to encourage you to do what it takes to close the gap between the two. Decide who you are and who you want to become. Be consistent in thinking, speaking and acting like that person. Someone said your thoughts become your words, your words become your action, your action determines your habits which determine your character. And when all is said and done, your character determines your destiny. You must choose to die daily to the person you don’t want to be and become alive to the person you want to be.