Test of Character 2. How you react to slow Internet
So this is a major fail for me. If the state of my character could be entirely summed up by my reaction to slow Internet, I should probably be locked up from society at large and I would certainly miss out on heaven. I only throw things on the inside, but inside my little mind, there’s not much left standing.
Patience is a fruit of the Holy Spirit’s work in our life.
Apparently the Holy Spirit and I have some work to do around Internet connection speeds.
Test of Character 3. The gap between what you think and what you say when someone compliments you
Christians are famous for false humility. Thanks, that wasn’t me…it was the Lord sounds good but has several problems with it.
First, the Lord probably doesn’t sing or preach as poorly as you do. How many nobody’s-told-me-how-bad-I-really-am Christian singers or preachers have ascribed their gift to God?
And second, let’s say you really are gifted. Even if you are decent at what you do—or great at it—there can be a gap between what you say publicly and what you think privately.
What you say: Thanks. It really wasn’t much.
What you think: Yes, I kind of rocked it, didn’t I?
What you say: Oh, I’m not sure I deserve that.
What you think: Yes I do. Finally someone noticed.
So what do you say when someone compliments you? How about ‘Thank you. I’m grateful it helped’?
And then how about privately thanking God for the way he might have used you in that situation?
That’s a decent start.
As C.S. Lewis said, true humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.
