Character

"A talent is formed in stillness, a character in the world's torrent." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

"It is not in the still calm of life, or in the repose of a pacific station, that great characters are formed." - Abigail Adams

Character is clearly not a virtue that one comes by easily. It seems as if the development of character is tied directly to turmoil, life stress, and moments of high tension. Character really can't be developed without a backdrop of extreme circumstances.

Those circumstances vary from individual to individual. Some have experienced this tension and stress in the midst of war, some have experienced it though poverty, some have made poor personal choices and experienced this character building stress during incarceration, rehabilitation, or recovery.

Make no mistake about it, character comes at a high personal cost. It's almost always accompanied by pressure and stress. Because of this, it's a virtue that few truly possess. When given the choice of enduring extreme personal stress, pressure, or pain as a character building exercise, most simply choose comfort over character. How tragic. Therein lies the reason why there are so few real men and women of character.

"Endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope." - Romans 5:4