Scattered
throughout the inscriptions and pages of history, from the beginning of ancient
civilization, right down to where time and space has brought us today, are the tragic
stories and exploits of men and women who rose to the apex of affluence and
influence in life. Among them were people who exercised and wielded great
power, displayed outstanding skills, showed rare courage and bravery, and
portrayed exquisite expertise and charisma in all their dealings. Throughout
their lifetime, they were purposeful, resilient, committed, devoted and even
died determined. It won’t be wrong to say, that these great men fulfilled their
destinies; yet, most of them failed in the most commonest and overlooked yet
needful area of life which is character
In
a simpler sense, character is that enduring trait and part of a person that is
being displayed regardless of time and place. In his book “In Charge – Finding
the Leader within You” Myles Munroe posited the foundational concept of the
word character. He said character is fixed, it is predictable and it is an
image. By implication, one’s character should be stable and set, trusted and
expected, and it is inherent and often reflects its essence. Thus, we usually
say: “if it is Mr. A, that is typical of his character, we know he is capable
of doing that”.
Time
and space has brought us to a generation that the clamour for titles, power,
position, skills, gifts, talents, educational qualifications, charisma,
influence and affluence are all that dominate the scale of preference of
people’s life. Yet, the one thing needed to uphold, maintain, and make all the
aforementioned last an go down history is ignored. Be it by mission or
commission, wit or insanity, the enduring fact is that without character even
if you achieve all these, it would be like drawing water from a long well with
a basket.
As
spirit and soul are so intertwined together, that they can be used
interchangeably, though they are two different entities, so is character and
integrity. Munroe further captured that
integrity stems from the word ‘integrated” or to be “one’. Thus, to have
character and integrity means to have an integrated self, this entails: who you
are, what you say, what you do, and how you appear. Hence I solemnly add with
utmost responsibility and carefulness that character is who you are (your
being), what you do (your doings) in the public or in the private, in the light
or in the dark, in times of pleasure or pressure, in times of lack or abundance
– now that is integrity. This is because the true test of character is not how
you are on your best days, but how you act on your worst days.
Character
is a wall, a smooth well painted wall for that matter. Any crack in the wall or
any stain on the wall of character can be seen even by the most blindest of
men. Your character is what turns you on or off in the life of other people.
Your character is your only product, your only stock in trade, it either makes
you a rare or most sought after product in the market of life or it sells you
off completely. Hence, I will like to emphasize here that, do not allow your
gifts, talents, skills, titles, charisma, etcetera take you to the place and
height that your character cannot sustain you. Such was the mistake of some great
men in time past; they spent all they had to arrive where they thought they
were supposed to be, only at arrival do they realized too late that they lack
the corresponding character to keep and sustain them at the highest rung of the
ladder – just imagine how grievous the down crash would be.
It
is quite disheartening that many people today are busy becoming “characters”
but are void of character. How? One may ask. When you ignore the fact that you
are an original copy who needs to work on his or her unique character daily and
start imitating another person’s way of life, you are becoming a character. Now
don’t get me wrong here, it is not wrong to model or mentor after somebody, but
it would be a mistake of a lifetime exhausting your energy trying to live
somebody’s life. Every character that you see worth emulating come with a
price, no character is formed, developed and displayed overnight. Again, you
are an original copy, a limited edition for that matter, wake up to the reality
of life, life is not a play, so quite being a character and have yourself one.
Are
you a character or you have a character? Will your character make you a most
sought after product in the market of life or will it sell you off? Character is birthed, cultivated, improved
and developed over time through various tests and experiences of life. Thus,
when life turns out the way you want, watch your character closely. When things
get tougher, bitter and harder, still watch your character closely, just know
that only when you are stretched to the limit will your character be
cultivated, improved and developed.
Indubitably,
character is everything; it is your selling point in life. It can be a sweet
smelling perfume that attracts people to you or it can be a stinking oozing
smell that dispels people away from you. Watch your character, open it up for
productive improvement and development all in humility, but at the same time
guard it with all tenacity because bad company corrupts good character. (1 Corinthian
15:33)
It
is not new that we are created in God’s image, but it is ever new for us to
live out the detailed implication of its reality. In the context of character,
being created in the image of God denotes the truth that we have in us the
innate ability to learn, cultivate, develop and manifest his own kind of
character. His character is contagious, conspicuous and above all enduring. A
life without a well built, cultivated and developed character that is founded
on its maker is wreckage. Character is everything. How is your character? Are
you a character or you one? Don’t forget, your character or attitude determines
your altitude in life
Billy
Graham of blessed memory encapsulated all these in one sentence: “When wealth
is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when
character is lost, ALL is lost”
Please be free to leave your comments, thank you.
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