Character Counts

"A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit."  

--Matthew 7:18

Imagine my surprise when one year my pink climbing rose sprouted red roses along side the pink ones!  This, it turns out, was because the pink climbing rose was grafted onto the red rose rootstock.  After a few years the red rose emerged from the original rootstock.

When my  boys were in school in the 1980s into the 2000s the school system had a program called Character Counts.  I am very glad to see that it is still a part of their curriculum:

Character Counts! is a character-education and ethical decision making program incorporated into the FCPS curriculum at all grade levels. It promotes six "pillars of character"--caring, citizenship, fairness, respect, responsibility and trustworthiness--to reinforce a safe and positive school environment conducive to teaching and learning. Students and their families are expected to model good character when attending or participating in extra-curricular activities and community events.

It is something badly needed in our society at this point in time because our standards have fallen so low for what is acceptable.  Perhaps because we can remain anonymous in the realm of social media people's true characters surface just like my rose bush did.

Hannah Whitall Smith wrote in her book Every-Day Religion (1902):

Persons can never be more than their character makes them.  They can never do more nor better than deliver or embody that which is their character.  Character must stand behind and back up everything--the sermon, the poem, the picture, the book.  None of them is worth a straw without it.

In Romans 5:3-5 Paul wrote:

Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.

The thing is, we can teach the "six pillars of character" to our children, but unless we also teach them that true character is more than just acting good, they are in danger of being tempted and provoked to forget everything they've learned.  Paul points out that [good] character is produced through suffering.  Suffering can come in many forms--physical, emotional, and mental.  Suffering is a part of life here on earth so everyone has plenty of opportunity to grow character.  Our character is built when we don't give in to feeling sorry for ourselves or doing something inappropriate to alleviate the suffering.  Instead, we are called to depend on God to help us in our time of need.  This is how we are able to persevere and thereby build a strong character that enables us to withstand the "slings and arrows" of those who do evil.  

More importantly, we will be a witness of God's grace and power to those who are watching us, waiting for us to crumble so they can ask,"Where is your God now?"  

Let us be shining examples of Hope.

Father, thank you for the Hope you have given me in Jesus Christ.

Link to scripture:  Matthew 12:34

Take action:  Seven Harsh Lessons to Strengthen Your Character

When we depend on God He is able to give us the strength to do these things: