“Are you a woman/man of character?”
“Tall, dark and handsome!” This is often the description a woman will give for the type of man she wants. In addition, a man that has a JOB. (lol!) Now the brothers may say, “I want a woman who is fine as wine and some will add with a good job.” Both descriptions are mainly focused on the outward appearance. However, as we embrace excellence for the month of August, I want to challenge you to add something else to your description list. Before you get excited about how fine he or she is, find out more about their CHARACTER.
Proverbs 31:10 says “A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.” (Life Application Bible) This verse reminds us that a woman of character is difficult to find. I believe the same thing applies to men. Character is a person’s reputation, their moral or ethical quality. We should ask ourselves, “Does this person have a good reputation?” Before we look for good character in others, let’s check ourselves to make sure that we are women and men of character.
The following is a list of character that we should strive to implement in our daily lives. (Reference: www.characterfirst.com, Character Training Institute) They have many character traits listed, however I have selected 20. The words on the left side are the traits that we should practice and look for within our mate.
- Alertness vs. Carelessness
- Attentiveness vs. Distraction
- Availability vs. Self-centeredness
- Benevolence vs. Selfishness
- Boldness vs. Fearfulness
- Cautiousness vs. Rashness
- Compassion vs. Indifference
- Contentment vs. Covetousness
- Dependability vs. Inconsistency
- Punctuality vs. Tardiness
- Orderliness vs. Confusion
- Obedience vs. Willfulness
- Wisdom vs. Foolishness
- Thriftiness vs. Extravagance
- Self-Control vs. Self-Indulgence
- Truthfulness vs. Deception
- Virtue vs. Impurity
- Sincerity vs. hypocrisy
- Responsibility vs. Unreliability
- Patience vs. Restlessness
If you struggle in any of these categories, don’t worry. Jesus Christ is the best CHARACTER FIXER. He specializes in making us over and developing women and men of character. All you have to do is get close to Him through prayer, worship, reading God’s Word and applying it to your life. The closer we get to Him, the more we can be good women/men of character. Lord make us over!
Until next week . . .
Carolyn
ps: I will talk more about this on my scope (M, Wed and Fri. around 6 or 7) follow @CarolynTatem.
Marriage from A to Z 