Full of faith, full of wisdom, full of good works, full of the Holy Ghost, full of joy, full of goodness and knowledge, full of assurance, full of mercy, full of glory, full of light…These are positive defining character traits the Bible mentions. The negatives traits includes full of wickedness, full of evil, full of indignation, full of wrath, full of cursing, full of confusion, full of heaviness… You get the picture. We all have character traits that define us in the eyes of others.
First impressions are one level of classification.
Intensity of a trait is another. I once asked my husband about my ability to identify a loved one by his sporadic, abusive episodes when in fact, he was a wonderful person outside of those individual moments. My husband explained that chemicals are triggered in the brain when events are highly traumatic or emotional. Therefore, they leave a more lasting impact. For example, people can drive to work every day without giving the time much thought, but they will always remember the day they have an accident on the way to work.
Repetition of use is the third way our character traits can become defining. Sadly, if someone is going to remember us by something positive, it usually requires much demonstration of that trait. My husband is a paragon of love, generosity, joy, grace, and faith because he is filled with those traits; they are a part of each of his actions. He’s easily identified by those traits because of his constant demonstration of them.
We are all being identified by something because of being full of that "something" in our encounter with others. If we were full of spastic joy when we met someone the first time, that may be who we are in their eyes. If we regularly blast those around us, we may forever be labeled “full of anger.” If we are consistently thoughtful of others, we may be called “full of kindness.”
Since God sees all of those moments, He has the ability to classify us by character traits as well. Two traits He wants us all to have are goodness and faithfulness. “Well done, thou good and faithful servant,” is his classifying declaration to those who enter Heaven. They are words I think we all hope to hear.
Tip/Tidbit: We can’t undo past first impressions, we can’t aright past wrongs, but we can become more consistent in doing the right thing on a daily basis. Today, apologize for past mistakes and move forward. Aim to become full of goodness and faithfulness.
First impressions are one level of classification.
Intensity of a trait is another. I once asked my husband about my ability to identify a loved one by his sporadic, abusive episodes when in fact, he was a wonderful person outside of those individual moments. My husband explained that chemicals are triggered in the brain when events are highly traumatic or emotional. Therefore, they leave a more lasting impact. For example, people can drive to work every day without giving the time much thought, but they will always remember the day they have an accident on the way to work.
Repetition of use is the third way our character traits can become defining. Sadly, if someone is going to remember us by something positive, it usually requires much demonstration of that trait. My husband is a paragon of love, generosity, joy, grace, and faith because he is filled with those traits; they are a part of each of his actions. He’s easily identified by those traits because of his constant demonstration of them.
We are all being identified by something because of being full of that "something" in our encounter with others. If we were full of spastic joy when we met someone the first time, that may be who we are in their eyes. If we regularly blast those around us, we may forever be labeled “full of anger.” If we are consistently thoughtful of others, we may be called “full of kindness.”
Since God sees all of those moments, He has the ability to classify us by character traits as well. Two traits He wants us all to have are goodness and faithfulness. “Well done, thou good and faithful servant,” is his classifying declaration to those who enter Heaven. They are words I think we all hope to hear.
Tip/Tidbit: We can’t undo past first impressions, we can’t aright past wrongs, but we can become more consistent in doing the right thing on a daily basis. Today, apologize for past mistakes and move forward. Aim to become full of goodness and faithfulness.
RSS Feed
