by Catherine Barbaro

Created on: January 31, 2010   Last Updated: February 05, 2010

Sitting at a mall food court table, lots of characters are visible causing the question of whether being a character is more important than having a good character.  Character is a confusing word in our modern times.  One definition of character is a role someone plays.  That definition is easily seen there in the mall: Goth, punk, cool, preppy, grunge, busy, rebellious, conformist and so many more.   This bears no resemblance to what character means to God.  This variety of definitions can hide the value of the importance of character from a Biblical perspective.  The character that God is concerned with is more in line with the definition noting mental, moral, and ethical traits.

“But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7)

Character is a heart matter that spills over into our thoughts, words, actions and especially our inactions.  God knows our hearts but the world sees our character.  In fact, the world sees and judges our character traits from a very early age.  “Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right. (Proverbs 20:11 NIV)

After removing character training from schools because of its religious connotations, our nation now suffers from a lack of standard morals.  All laws are based on moral standards.  Without an unchanging Biblical standard, morals can fluctuate with the mood and temperament of a people.  What is wrong today may not be wrong next year.  Personal respect suffers.  Crime soars.  Depression and anxiety lead as commonly medicated conditions.  People withdraw from one another.  Suspicion replaces helpfulness.  Fear replaces love.  The world is expected to be in chaos but now individuals and churches find themselves in chaos from misguided actions and a lack of character standards.

The problem sounds irreversible and overwhelming.  People react by pulling children out of public schools, lambasting government leaders, church-hopping and further withdrawing from society.  To defeat the problem a standard must be acknowledged.  There must be recognition of an unchangeable standard of character traits.

For many years, my family housed British soccer coaches visiting the United States

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