character

I recently had to write a blurb on character for one of our in-church publications. I thought I would post it here as well.

"For some reason, when I think of the word character, I think of the phrase “doing the right thing when no one else is looking.” Someone told me that once, or preached that at me once, or taught me that once, or disciplined me with that once. I can’t really remember which.

But character dives much deeper than that, and spreads far beyond just my inner life or private decisions. Character includes every good thing I should be characterized by.

Think about that for a second. If I am generally a good person, and yet I often have a quick temper, I am said to have a “character flaw.” My quickness to anger would be a blemish on my character. I lack the characteristic of patience, and in order to have character, I need to be patient.

Character includes every good thing I should be characterized by. Try as I might, I just can’t seem to always decide to be characterized by all of the good things I should.

Which brings me to what I think is the most important aspect of Christian character. Since this is our plight—since we just don’t seem to have it in us to make all the right decisions all of the time—we should first be characterized by humility, since we are all powerless without Jesus. After all, it’s Jesus’ character we’re after anyways, and he gives it to us only as a gift of his grace.

May we be characterized first by our humility towards one another as Jesus graciously works out all of our flaws. You might have to wait; he’ll be working on mine for awhile."