Who Are You When No One is Looking?
I love to write about hospitality, home decor, recipes and many other things because they give me pleasure, but those aren't the things that make me who I am. If we care so very much about what we have, shouldn't we care even more about who we are- our character?
I came up with a quote many years ago, and have heard it since so I am not sure it is original to me, but it is true. "Character is who you are when no one is looking."
We care about our appearance, our job and our family, but do we care about who we are when no one is looking?
Or is Someone looking? When I was a child, my mother made an impression on me with the fact that God saw everything I did. She told me that He kept track of those things in a big book and one day I would be asked about them. That kept me out of a lot of trouble. As we get older "god-consciousness" can fade; our peers influence us, media influences us, and sometimes we get the sense that what we do doesn't matter. We fall into the trap of "This is MY life."
II Corinthians's 5:10 (NIV) states that "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad."
As a Christian, I know I am going to heaven, but I am still accountable for my actions and will be held accountable for what I have done with the life God gave me.
My character dictates my thought process. It is the motivation behind my actions. Proverbs 23 gives an illustration of a rich man telling a guest to eat and drink, but in his heart he is not sincere; he is selfish and wants the person to have nothing. It becomes obvious as you read his story.
We can fool others for awhile, but the things of our heart will begin being to play out in our lives. Eventually true character shows itself. If you decided to reveal the person you are when no one is looking, would your world see you in a different light? God sees and knows everything. He knows our thoughts, He knows the motivation for our deeds and He sees us when we are alone. Sobering isn't it?
This is not a guilt trip. Everyone has done things they are ashamed of. We all have sinned. This is an opportunity to examine your character. If you have been headed in the wrong direction, it is an opportunity to make a u-turn and become that special person God intended you to be. If you are headed in the right direction, you can blossom as you continue on the path for which you were made.
Proverbs 31 gives a wonderful picture of a godly woman and how she deals with her life. Our culture is different now, but the principles still apply. In my upcoming blogs, I will share how we develop our character and how it affects our relationship with our husbands, children, friends and those we encounter during any given day.
But in the meantime, Who are you when no one is looking?
Next post: Developing a Godly Character
I came up with a quote many years ago, and have heard it since so I am not sure it is original to me, but it is true. "Character is who you are when no one is looking."
We care about our appearance, our job and our family, but do we care about who we are when no one is looking?
Or is Someone looking? When I was a child, my mother made an impression on me with the fact that God saw everything I did. She told me that He kept track of those things in a big book and one day I would be asked about them. That kept me out of a lot of trouble. As we get older "god-consciousness" can fade; our peers influence us, media influences us, and sometimes we get the sense that what we do doesn't matter. We fall into the trap of "This is MY life."
II Corinthians's 5:10 (NIV) states that "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad."
As a Christian, I know I am going to heaven, but I am still accountable for my actions and will be held accountable for what I have done with the life God gave me.
My character dictates my thought process. It is the motivation behind my actions. Proverbs 23 gives an illustration of a rich man telling a guest to eat and drink, but in his heart he is not sincere; he is selfish and wants the person to have nothing. It becomes obvious as you read his story.
We can fool others for awhile, but the things of our heart will begin being to play out in our lives. Eventually true character shows itself. If you decided to reveal the person you are when no one is looking, would your world see you in a different light? God sees and knows everything. He knows our thoughts, He knows the motivation for our deeds and He sees us when we are alone. Sobering isn't it?
This is not a guilt trip. Everyone has done things they are ashamed of. We all have sinned. This is an opportunity to examine your character. If you have been headed in the wrong direction, it is an opportunity to make a u-turn and become that special person God intended you to be. If you are headed in the right direction, you can blossom as you continue on the path for which you were made.
Proverbs 31 gives a wonderful picture of a godly woman and how she deals with her life. Our culture is different now, but the principles still apply. In my upcoming blogs, I will share how we develop our character and how it affects our relationship with our husbands, children, friends and those we encounter during any given day.
But in the meantime, Who are you when no one is looking?
Next post: Developing a Godly Character
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