Last July, I had the amazing opportunity of serving for two weeks with an indigenous Christian mission in Northern India. We had the privilege of learning from and building capacity in about 80 pastors and lay leaders along with 20 young women who were part of an eight-month discipleship/vocational training program.

I was deeply encouraged and challenged by the faith of those who came to the training. One Indian pastor, who has been almost blind for 30 years, travels from Hindu village to Hindu village sharing the Gospel. Villagers have beaten him seven times for his fervent witness. Yet, despite the opposition, 200 Hindus have accepted Christ through his ministry! God has called him to share the Gospel and he is prepared to do so, no matter what the cost is.

Another pastor, who grew up in Bhutan, came to Christ through a near-death experience involving explosives. Sharing your faith in Bhutan is illegal. Yet this man, like Peter and John in Acts 4:18-20, cannot stop speaking about Christ. Despite serving two prison sentences, he has seen many come to faith and has planted several churches. Even now, in his 80s, this pastor continues to live out God’s call on his life by proclaiming the Gospel boldly.

During our last day in India, we toured Mother House in Kolkata where Mother Teresa lived and worked. As I walked through a section of the House devoted to remembering Mother Teresa, one of Mother’s quotes deeply moved me:

“I do not want to be successful; I want to be faithful.”

For Mother Teresa, true success was being faithful to God and His call on her life.

What do you sense that God would have you to focus on in the months ahead? What are His priorities for your life?

In a previous blog, I shared about Why Understanding Your Personal Calling is Important. When we understand God’s plan for our lives, it helps us to stay on track with His priorities. We live with passion and purpose, willing to make significant sacrifices to follow our Lord’s directives.

I once took an assessment that measured my character. Big mistake! My lowest score was compassion. As a pastor, it struck me that it might be helpful to grow in this area. 

To be honest, I was tempted to ignore this unexpected (and probably inaccurate) result. Yet, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that compassion was important and it needed a boost in my life. I could look compassionate when necessary (and for a time), but it wasn’t usually coming from a heart of compassion.

I decided to try to become more compassionate.

Have you started this year with some New Year’s resolutions? Many of our resolutions focus on external behaviours like exercising more or eating less. What would happen if we started the New Year with a desire to change our hearts?

I truly believe that character is one of seven key dimensions of Christian leadership. In fact, I believe it is the defining characteristic of leadership.

Years have passed since I took that character assessment. Even though I’m still not the most compassionate person in the world, I believe that I have grown in this area (at least, I hope so).

You and I both have strengths and weaknesses when it comes to character qualities. What is one character quality that you would love to see increase this year?

Here are five strategies to help you grow in any desirable character quality:  

1. Pray for God’s Help

I abandoned my books and chose the easier option. I entered “how to develop character” into the Google search bar and readied myself for instant transformation. Instead, I was underwhelmed by a series of articles on how to create a compelling character for a fictional story. 

As I recovered from my initial disappointment, I realized that the development of a fictional character has valuable parallels to how you and I establish our own character. Authors reveal the virtues of their characters by forcing them to respond to a variety of experiences. The same is true of our lives. Our character is shaped and refined as we react to the world around us.

As we follow characters throughout a story, we see them change. A character has to change or else their story isn’t worth following. Which is partly why authors rely upon an obstacle that threatens the very nature of their character. Their character has to face a problem. The problem is what creates the required urgency and tension to keep us interested. The problem is what keeps the story moving. The problem is what instigates the character to change.

A character’s obstacle is crucial to the construction of a story. The author must insert a problem into a character’s life while also ensuring that the character has been developed enough to ably respond. The timing is vital.

While it is easy to see parallels between our lives and those who live in an imaginary world, it becomes more complicated to compare God with the author of a literary novel. For instance, there is no indication in the Bible to suggest that God will only allow us to face what we are able to bear. Instead, we read dozens of stories of God placing people in situations for which they are ill-equipped to handle. Consider the message that Elijah receives from an angel in 1 Kings 19:7—"the journey is too much for you!"—or how Moses feels in Exodus 4:10-13—"please send someone else" (thanks to Ron Edmundson for these examples).