10 Character Traits I Aspire To...

This past Sunday, our minister gave a sermon about setting and keeping goals. One of the things he said that really hit me is that it is important for us to concentrate on who we want to BE - not what we want to DO in life. Circumstances change so easily, and that can interfere with our plans and ambitions. So if we are only focused on the list of things we want to do in life, we are setting ourselves up for disappointment. But if we focus more on the person we want to be, and the character we want to have, that can continue to progress and be fruitful no matter where we are or what we're doing. (That is an important thing to keep in mind as an ambitious Air Force spouse who has to move around a lot and be very flexible.)

So he challenged us to spend some quiet time with God this week and come up with a list of 10 words that outline the person we aspire to be. Here is mine:

Faithful - My first priority is to always be faithful and true to God, my husband, my family and friends. I want them to know they can always count on me, and that I will always believe in them.

Passionate - I think that if I had to choose only one word that describes me, and that I would want to be remembered for, this is it. I’m just not a luke-warm type of person. I want my love for God and others to be over-the-top, and my enthusiasm to help inspire others to live life to the fullest.

Courageous - I want to be bold, unafraid of taking risks, trusting that God will use me to do great things as a result. I am naturally a very fearful person, but I refuse to let that hinder me. We only have one life to live, and I want to live it to the fullest - going on adventures like all of the characters that I love in books and movies, and doing something worthy of remembrance. This is totally my leadership style as well - I like to challenge others to do the same, and if it means being a bit of a trail-blazer and forging the way for others to follow, so be it.

Integrity - I want to be someone with a strong character - upright, honest, and true. I’m whole and undivided - completely devoted to God - and all people who meet me will know what I’m all about rather than worrying about “two-faced” inconsistency.

Generous - nothing I have is mine anyway, it all belongs to God - so I want to give extravagantly as an outpouring of His love for me, and to help accomplish His purposes here on Earth. I will always strive to never get attached to money and material possessions!

Humble - Pride is one of my biggest weaknesses (since I aspire to greatness), so I always strive to be humble - rightly acknowledging the fact that I am just a broken, sinful, imperfect person who God uses to do pretty cool things. Everything I have or do is because of Him, and so I always want to be thankful for my blessings and successes.

Wise - I want to be knowledgeable about both God and life, so that I can know how to live correctly. Generally, I want to have some depth to me, so that I can have great conversations and help guide and mentor others. However, I have purposely listed wisdom below humility because I never want to develop such a high opinion of myself that I think I’m beyond learning. The most important characteristic of a leader is teachability - so the greatest wisdom I’ll ever have is knowing I’m not above the need to improve.

Thoughtful - It’s very important for me to be paying attention to the needs and desires of those around me, and to find creative ways to show them that I care. I never want to be thought of as selfish or heartless. I also want to be thoughtful in the sense that I’ve got some insight and have good thoughts on everything from theology to basic life issues.

Steadfast - This one is particularly important since pain and hardship seem to be permanent fixtures in my life. I want to be strong and fearless - trusting that God will get me through anything, and that I will mature and develop my physical, mental, emotional and spiritual endurance through the process.

Hopeful - In the midst of our pessimistic and faithless society, I always want to be positive, trusting in God and His promise for a greater future. This has a lot to do with learning to be content in my circumstances and allowing my joy to overflow and influence those around me.