What about Character?

When was the last time you thought about someone's character? What about your character?

Eliot Spitzer. Mark Sanford. John Edwards. Ted Haggard. Jimmy Swaggart. Bill Clinton.


These are just some of the names that come to mind when I think of men with no character. Have you ever said that? No Character. Is it possible for someone to have no character?

“I may not have been the greatest president, but I've had the most fun eight years.” - Bill Clinton

Let me tell you this. We all have character. Let me explain.

Let's pick a few character traits. Forgiving. Self-less. Humble. Patient. Respect. Who do you think of that exhibits these? Are they consistent with them? Does the person you are thinking about have a history of walking on water? Do you either have these or not? I would suggest we need to expand them. I like to call it range.

What is the opposite of Forgiving? Unforgiving.

Self-less - Self-ish
Humble - Arrogant
Patient - Impatient
Respect - Disrespect

I think we all live somewhere in between these boundaries. There are times when I would be characterized as a forgiving person. There would be other times when I may be characterized as being unforgiving. The goal over time would to be more to the left and less to the right.

Have you ever driven a car with a tire that's out of alignment? The front right tire is pulling WAY right. What happens when you let go of the steering wheel. Yep. Ditch. To keep that from happening. You struggle. You stay very aware of where that tire wants to go. You keep both hands on the steering wheel. On a long road trip, this can be aggravating. Fatigue comes on fast. Using this metaphor, why is it that our front tires in life always take us to the right? To the ditch. Have you even been patient on accident? You are just naturally humble and self-less? Not me. When I let go of the steering wheel in my life. I head straight to the ditch!

Think about each one of these? Where are you right now? How bad is your life pulling you to the ditch?

Remember. You have character. We all do. It's just a matter of which way you are pulling.