What is character? This was the opening question of my final class at Wheaton College. One would think this has an easy answer, but does it really? My initial thought went to legendary basketball coach John Wooden’s quote, “Character is who you are when no one is watching.” However, one’s character goes much deeper and wider than that. It is the sum of your habits, how your mind perceives the world, and how your heart reasons and relates to culture and the people around you. Character is not developed or practiced in a vacuum; it is an orientation and action toward others that is ever-growing and developing.
One of the things I loved about reading through Daniel for our church-wide 37 Days of Prayer was observing his character. Wisdom, integrity, and humility were core values of his life. No matter where he was established within the kingdom, this was his orientation toward others, whether as a servant or a leader. We see throughout the story of Daniel’s life that he gained favor in the king’s sight because of his exceeding wisdom (Daniel 1), he refused to “perform” for the sake of robes and riches (Daniel 5), and he remained obedient to God even when faced with death (Daniel 6).
His story demonstrates to us the importance of character development. It is a highly relational thing and the way that we interact with all of God’s creation is a testament to what we believe to be true about God. Character impacts the sum of the whole. In other words, acting in good character toward others also enables their flourishing. This is why Christians should give themselves to the diligent study and practice of the values of God’s Kingdom. If our actions flow out of perception and deliberation, then our perceptions must be saturated with the Holy Scriptures so that we might, with the help of the Holy Spirit, deliberate between the way our sinful nature desires to act and the way in which God instructs us to serve others.
Something we should anticipate as we grow stronger in these things is that the nature of our character may lead to promotion into places where our character conflicts with those we serve. This is not the time to conform or cower–it is the time to let our light shine before all people! Take, for example, Daniel’s experience with the lion’s den in chapter six. Verse 3 tells us, “Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.” His peers were consumed with jealousy, envy, and suspicion. It did not matter to them that they might flourish under Daniel’s leadership, they simply wanted him gone. However, Daniel’s choice to remain steadfast despite the threat of death concluded in a great proclamation of God’s name among all tribes and tongues, as well as his own flourishing in the land of Babylon!
Do not be surprised when trials and tribulations come. We may not be faced with death, but we may be faced with things like the loss of a job, false accusations, mockery, exclusion, or others. In all these things, we can trust that the Lord is our shield, defender, and provider. Let me leave you with this encouragement from David that the Lord sees and honors those who remain steadfast: Psalm 41:11-12 “I know that you are pleased with me, for my enemy does not triumph over me. Because of my integrity, you uphold me and set me in your presence forever.”