Our Response Defines Our Character
Whatsoever Series:
“Whatsoever is of good report…think on these things” (Phil 4:8-9).
“…endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation” (Romans 5:4).
This month, we welcome guest writer Abi Broda to the Whatsoever Series to encourage us to think on those things that demonstrate strength of character. Visit the Student Health Center and Wellness Initiatives’ webpage about the Dimensions of Wellness to see what is available to students to be stronger and more resilient champions for Christ.
Our Response Defines Our Character
Isaiah 12:1–6 (ESV) You will say in that day: “I will give thanks to you, O LORD, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me. “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.” With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say in that day: “Give thanks to the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted. “Sing praises to the LORD, for he has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth. Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”
This passage is full of things we can glean from. Specifically, the model of how to respond in difficult situations – giving thanks no matter our circumstances, calling upon the Lord in every situation, sharing what God is doing in and around our lives, singing from our hearts, and choosing the attitude of joy. Taking these examples and applying them in our lives is how we can trek through the hard times in our life which leads to us growing in character.
Another example of choosing to build character can be gleaned from this Queen’s story. Around 480 B.C., God’s people had been exiled and were on the verge of persecution. Reading through the book of Esther we can see that God had been orchestrating this situation far before Esther became queen. God was in control the whole time. He placed the right people, in the right place, for such a time as this.
However, imagine that you were in her shoes. You were practically a nobody off the streets and were selected to be the new queen of a whole country. That would be a terrifying situation. When presented with the difficult situation that her people were all about to be killed, could you imagine what her thoughts must have been? If it were me, my thoughts would probably have gone to “why are you telling me this, dude?” Esther had to go through some rapid character growth and make the decision that her own life was less important to her than that of her people.
A more recent showcase of character can be found in history in the year 1924. At that time, there lived a seminary student named Dietrich Bonhoeffer who was going against the grain of religiosity, but he trusted that God had him on the right path in life. Bonhoeffer had a unique gift to see things for what they were and he lived his life through one difficult situation after another. He did not get stumbled by religiousness of his day that was not scriptural and he could easily see through another person’s character clearly.
Because of this gifting, Bonhoeffer was able to see early on what Hitler was trying to do and was a key figure in fighting against him even before Hitler came into power in Germany. Bonhoeffer openly opposed Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime and its systematic persecution of the Jews. He was arrested, imprisoned, tried, and hung on April 9, 1945, for his part in a plot to assassinate Hitler. His writings have taught and influenced tons of other seminary students and helped change the fate of Germany and the trajectory of WWII. Through it all, for his perseverance through trials and to the very end, Bonhoeffer’s character shined.
The saying “history repeats itself” is true in that the things unseen (2 Corinthians 4:18) are always at work and Satan is the god of this world trying to force evil to prevail. He hasn’t won before, and he won’t now.
Just as God placed others throughout history who would live for their “such a time as this,” he will continue to do so. There is a lot going on in our world. It’s important that we remind ourselves that it is not our circumstances that determine our character, but our response to them. In Isaiah 12, the scripture comforts us that the Lord is our strength and our song, the One who gets us through, and the One who brings us joy.
We must grow in our character to have faith and to be ready for the calling.
Meet the Author
Abi Broda, MPH
Assistant Director of Virtual Health Education & Events
Student Health Center and Wellness Initiatives
