Character Revealed

I have heard it said many times, character is shaped by adversity. It is also said character is revealed through adversity. Which is correct?

Both.

What others see during our stressful times is a combination of our experience, wisdom, and integrity. These three areas are the primary make up of our character.

Realize though, our character is never fully formed. Every time we encounter a stress point we are not only revealing our existing character; we are also re-shaping and reinforcing it for the next display.

If we are not happy with our reaction to adversity, we can change. Positive change takes time, but in the end pays huge dividends.

Romans 12:1-2(MSG) spells it out perfectly,

So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

Remember when our character is tested others see right through the facades into our hearts. This leads us back to demonstration once again.

To be an effective, VALID leader, our character traits must to be real. We all fail at some point in our life. When this occurs, don't make excuses. Make it right and press on!