Character

char·ac·ter

 

noun

1.

the aggregate of features and traits that form the individual nature of some person or thing.

2.

one such feature or trait; characteristic.

3.

moral or ethical quality: a man of fine, honorable character.

4.

qualities of honesty, courage, or the like; integrity: It takes character to face up to a bully.

5.

reputation: a stain on one's character.

Character is a word I have never given much thought. But someone recently told me that I was "a unique person with lots of character" . And I began to wonder what it means to have character, be it lots or little.  By it's general definition, it is what entirely sums a person up, basically who you are. And after some thought I decided that to have it in large quantities is a positive trait. 

I was reminded of the verse in Romans.

" Not only so, but we[a] also glory in our sufferings, because we know

that suffering produces perseverance;  perseverance, character; and

character, hope.  And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s

love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who

has been given to us"

Romans 5:3-5

Hope is a belief and desire for a positive outcome, and here in Roman's it is that desire and belief in the love that has been poured into our hearts. Hope is the thing that I sincerely desire to share with others, as that is the complete foundation and joy of the Christian's journey. We have hope in a eternal salvation, the positive outcome of our lives.

But back to character... the verse states that hope is produced by a combination of events or qualities. There is actually several ingredients that are needed to produce hope. You first must have

suffering, which will produce or create perseverance. In turn,

perseverance produces character, and only with character can you have

hope.

 We often think in our culture that it is best to blend in, not go

against the flow, and to be as mainstream as possible. I have heard the verse "be in the world, but not of it" and I think this can be applied to this subject of character as well for practical purposes. I do not want to be just another person that floats

in and out of people's lives and appears and acts the same as the person beside them, but someone full of character  that will be able to share a bit of hope with others.