When I was about 6 or 7 years old, my friends and I decided we all needed some candy from the corner store. It was 1954 and at that age there weren’t many ways for a kid to make money, especially a quarter (5 candy bars!) So, we decided we should spin a yarn about collecting money for the poor kids in China. What I didn’t know was that I was being set up. My buddies were hiding behind the bush to see if I could pull this off. After several houses but I found a neighbor who listened as I stumbled through my fabrication. She picked up her little change purse, unsnapped it, and gave me a shiny new quarter. I’ll never be sure as to whether she believed me, thought I was cute or gave me the money to get rid of me.

Well, it wasn’t even 48 hours before I was sitting standing tall, before my parents. Seems word traveled fast around our neighborhood. My friends had boasted about how easily I had pulled this off. They got their chocolate bars but disavowed any connection. Needless to say, my dad was furious. After a spanking I can still remember, we walked down the street and I gave the lady her money back, told her I lied, and apologized through my tears. I can’t begin to describe the humiliation and shame. On the way home my dad calmed down a bit as I continued to sob. He explained how important it was to be truthful in all things. Through my confession, and the accompanying embarrassment, I was informed that I had entered a character development stage of my life. I wasn’t real sure I really needed it that bad!

As I got older I learned character isn’t an attribute, but the person you become and it is not defined by one’s performance.  How you perform and the way you behave is the result of the convictions you live by. Character is what Christ was referring to when he said, “You are not defiled by what you eat; you are defiled by what you say and do! (Mark 7:15 NLT) God wants us to take the suffering and our perseverance to build our character because everyone, even unbelievers, respect people of character. The Greek word for character is Dokime. It means, “a person has been proven by trial and has become someone of value,” and bears a number of striking similarities to the Greek word used for the process of making coins.

In the ancient world there was no banking system and all money was made from metal. The coins were comparatively soft, so many people shaved them. In Athens, more than eighty laws were passed to stop the practice of shaving down the coins in circulation. There were some money changers (men of honor and integrity) who would not accept or exchange shaved money. They put only genuine full weighted money into circulation. Such men were called “dokimos” or “approved” – People of character. As I share my heart with you, I only have two aspirations for each of you. First, that you know and love the living God. The second is that you become a person of character so others will respect you. It is not an issue of family pride; it is an issue of the heart. Cutting the corners of life may save you time, or temporary anxiety. However, it robs you of the experience of walking through the trials of life, facing the giants and growing yourself into the image of God He intended you to be.

Love Dad.