A Possession Past the Grave

Wake Up Call

walk-pavementAbout three blocks from my house is a small church on the corner with a marquee in front. As I walked by the other day I noticed a new quote up which says; “Your circumstances are temporary but your character will last forever.” The fact is that it is usually in our circumstances that our character is revealed. When pressed we often find out some of the deep things inside ourselves that we wouldn’t know any other way.

For instance: If poverty comes to us we may feel tempted to steal. When tax time comes around and we really need a refund we may start thinking of ways to cheat. If an opportunity to be unfaithful to a promise made (such as marriage) strolls in, we may entertain accepting if we feel sure it won’t be discovered. To avoid embarrassment or disgrace we may choose to lie.

The quote on the marquee is an encouragement to us to make right choices regardless of the direness of our circumstance because no matter how bad, they won’t last forever. Things change. There are seasons for all the times in life, both good and bad. Our character, on the other hand is like an anchor in our life and it will be one of the few things we will take with us past the grave.

I have heard it said before that character is what you do when no one is watching. Well, God is watching. He knows our character already but I think He sometimes arranges our circumstances so that it becomes clear to us too. With God’s help, poor character can be torn out and replaced with something sterling. Something, in fact, that will last forever.

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