We had a large, beautiful tree in our backyard. Imagine my shock and surprise one day, when I leaned up against it, and the whole tree moved! Turns out, it was full of termites. They had eaten it from the inside out. Looking at it, you never could have guessed anything was wrong with it at all.
That’s similar to the internal “character erosion” that can set in. I like to define character as “moral predictability and consistency.” It’s what you do in the dark when nobody’s looking.
We made our kids memorize this statement:
Your character will feed your conduct, no matter what your circumstances may be.
Let me repeat that. Your character—who you are—will feed your conduct—that is, it determines what you do—no matter what your circumstances may be—that’s the stuff around you.
Let me repeat that. Your character—who you are—will feed your conduct—that is, it determines what you do—no matter what your circumstances may be—that’s the stuff around you.
Put another way:
You must have within you that which is above you, so that you don’t become a helpless victim of that which surrounds you.
Psalm 1 is all about character. Listen to verse 1;
“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers.”
David begins the Psalm by saying what a happy, blessed man chooses NOT TO DO. He doesn’t walk, he doesn’t stand, and he doesn’t sit.
Here’s what I want you to remember today. Steer clear of the destructive influences that threaten to murder your character. Watch out for those little termites that crawl into your life and eat away at the inside of who you really are.
As my father used to say, “Boy, you can’t run with dogs and then be surprised when you have fleas.”
By: Crawford Loritts with a Legacy Moment.
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