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~pt.2~DONKEY TRACKS" ~~
CREATING YOUR
CHARACTER IS LIKE AN ARTIST CREATING A SCULPTURE
by Jim Rohn Could creating your character be likened to an artist creating a
sculpture? In my opinion, I believe that character is not something that just
happens by itself, any more than a chisel can create a work of art without the
hand of an artist guiding it. In both instances, a conscious decision for a
specific outcome has been made. A conscious process is at work. Character is the
result of hundreds and hundreds of choices you make that gradually turn who you
are, at any given moment, into who you want to be. If that decision-making
process is not present, you will still be somebody. You will still be alive, but
may have a personality rather than a
character.
Character is not something you were born with and can't change
like your fingerprint. In fact, because you weren't born with it, it is
something that you must take responsibility for creating. I don't believe that
adversity by itself builds character and I certainly don't think that success
erodes it. Character is built by how you respond to what happens in your life.
Whether it's winning every game or losing every game. Getting rich or dealing
with hard times. You build character out of certain qualities that you must
create and diligently nurture within yourself. Just like you would plant and
water a seed or gather wood and build a campfire. You've got to look for those
things in your heart and in your gut. You've got to chisel away in order to find
them. Just like chiseling away the rock in order to create the sculpture that
has previously existed only in your imagination. But do you want to know the really amazing thing about character? If you are sincerely committed to making yourself into the person you want to be, you'll not only create those qualities, but you'll continually strengthen them. And you will recreate them in abundance even as you are drawing on them every day of your life. Just like the burning bush in the biblical book of Exodus, the bush burned but the flames did not consume it. Character sustains itself and nurtures itself even as it is being put to work, tested, and challenged. And once character is formed, it will serve as a solid, lasting foundation upon which to build the life you desire. The "Salt Test"
You are the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13, NLT). In a previous message, I shared some insights about the late J. C. Penney, a remarkable man and a personal friend. Penney believed in doing business according to the words of our Lord and the principles of the Golden Rule. To Penney, the Golden Rule represented more than a marketing strategy. It represented his deep philosophical and religious beliefs learned from his father, a Baptist minister. As an _expression_ of the Golden Rule, he insisted on offering customers quality merchandise at the lowest possible prices. Eventually the Golden Rule name he used was phased out and the stores were named JC Penney.For many years, Penney was active in a church layman's movement and made many appearances before churches and laymen's groups stressing the importance of applying the Golden Rule to the everyday tasks of business.But Penney also believed in a unique executive hiring criterion: the "salt test." When selecting new managers, the founder of one of the nation's largest retail chains often took the candidates out to eat where he scrutinized their behavior. Many passed the inspection, but others were disqualified by violating Penney's cardinal rule: "Never salt your food before tasting it." Salting before tasting, Penny believed, revealed the flaw of making decisions without information. If you are going to use a strong flavor enhancer, he reasoned, you must first know your food. Of course, using salt as a hiring test is a debatable methodology, yet we can agree with J.C. Penny on at least this much: Salt changes the taste of what it touches. Salt is not neutral. It adds flavor and appeal. It penetrates and transforms the character of food. As a preservative, it prolongs the life of food which otherwise would perish. This is what our Lord had in mind when he said to His followers: "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men" (Matthew 5:13, NIV). As the "salt of the earth," we Christians have the power to change the world. By being Christ's witnesses and salt, we can help influence the flavor of people's lives and enhance their relationships. We can help preserve morality in a decaying society. Let us not lose our saltiness and be trampled by the world's philosophies and values, but instead, like salt, let us penetrate and transform the character of life around us. Yours for helping to fulfill the Great Commission each year until our Lord returns,--- Bill Bright "...who delivered us from so great a death, and does
deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us." (2 Corinthians
1:10)
~TRAILS Father, I ask you to
bless my friends reading this right now. I am asking You to minister to their
spirit at this very moment. Where there is pain, give them Your peace and mercy.
Where there is self! -doubting, release a renewed confidence to work through
them. Where there is tiredness, or exhaustion, I ask You to give them
understanding, guidance, and strength as they learn submission to Your leading.
Where there is spiritual stagnation,
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