Character

Character – it has been defined as “who you are when no one is looking.” It defines a person. When everything fades and you are standing before the Lord, your character comes into play. Who you have chosen to be... because, let’s face it, character is a choice. There is not one thing another person can do to form your character. It is in those quiet moments of life when you define who you are... when you make a choice of who you will be.

My friend Katie... Let me tell you about the Katie I know.. Not about attributes, such as her “ridiculously shiny hair” or her Amazonian like frame... but her Character. The very nature of who she is. Now, one can never truly know everything about a person, only God is in this position. People generally build walls to protect themselves. But over the last year, Katie has slowly torn down those walls and I have been able to see who she is. This is the Katie I know:

My friend Katie... that is exactly what she is... A friend. She is a friend in the truest sense of the word. When she gives you her friendship, it is for life. She will be there for you. She will be there to listen, to joke around with, to challenge you and to love you. She is trustworthy. You can confide in her and she will not betray that trust. She is the exact definition of a friend this side of heaven in that she is self sacrificing. I have seen this played out in particular instances, where she will put the love she has for a friend before her own needs.

My friend Katie... She is a fearful person. Aren’t we all... we all have fears and she is no different. But she is fearful and this of the best parts of her character. Now some would argue that being fearful is not a defining attribute; however, I would argue that it depends on the type of fear we are talking about. Without question, she has fears in life, this is for sure. But the fearfulness that I am speaking of is this: She fears the Lord. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. (Proverbs 9:10) And my friend Katie is wise. She is a person that will give solid council. Her dependence on the Lord helps in directing her to make the right choices and she is wise because of that.

My friend Katie... She is not perfect. She has faults. Character flaws if you will... however, one thing, if you haven’t notice by her writing, is that she is very introspective and reflective and she sees her faults. She knows who she is, but she doesn’t use that as an excuse to justify who she is... If she senses that she needs to change something, she tries.

My friend Katie... She has doubts. She is confident, but she also has doubts... insecurities at times. If we are all honest with ourselves, we all have insecurities. Nobody likes to admit it... but we do. Katie is no different. Katie does not have it all together 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Neither do I. I like that about her... as a friend she has been vulnerable at times and true friends are like that... transparent in their thoughts and transparent with their faults.

My friend Katie... is humble. As a matter of fact, she is blushing and tearing as she reads this because she is embarrassed no doubt. If I know her, she is presently feeling like she is undeserving of such praise. And to her my response is: “Good. Then maybe your head won’t get too big.” ;)

My friend Katie... She loves me. She accepts me for who I am, for my faults... I truly believe that the Lord gives you a few friendships in life that are special, that are true. Her friendship has been one of them.

Her character is noble and pure and while she is not perfect and she may let me down at times... that’s okay... she is my friend; like her, I am a friend for life.

Do you know the Katie I know? If so, you have been blessed.

(Posted by Ben)