In the popular children's story, Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs, the little men that took Snow White into their home all had noticeable personality features. Each character had a character feature, whether it was a strength or a weakness, that easily separated and identified the one from the other. There was Grumpy, Sleepy, and Sneezy, to name a few. The prominent feature became the name or nickname of that dwarf.
In a different house, there were twelve brothers. The House of Israel was divided into twelve tribes
because there were 12 sons of Israel.
Perhaps each of the 12 sons of Jacob had a personality feature or
character feature that was distinct to that son.
Just as Jacob’s sons were uniquely different with different
strengths and weaknesses, we are all children of God and we have our own set of
unique talents and gifts.
But we also share some common character features that are
universal. Although these
features can be divided many ways, I have chosen to categorize them into 12
areas.
Picture a stage coach being drawn by 12 horses or a sleigh
being pulled by 12 dogs, our personalities and characters are driven and pulled
by the following 12 forces:
Physical
Mental
Emotional
Social
Spiritual
Sexual
Financial
Personal
Parental
Marital
Patriarchal
Recreational
While two oxen can pull a wagon, sometimes additional strength
and energy is necessary. The word
horsepower comes for a time before automobiles when additional horses were
added to a stagecoach or wagon to increase the power that comes from adding
more horses to a team of horses.
Balancing the load between 12 horses would increase the speed and
strength of the transport.
A team of dogs attached to a sled in the Arctic would have a
similar effect even though the needs and weather conditions are different. Dogs can run fast and more dogs would
increase the capacity of the load.
Dogs and horses are harnessed together in two rows. Each horse or dog is also harnessed next to
another dog or horse in a kind of yoke.
When we think of yokes we usually think of wooden yokes and two
oxen pulling a covered wagon. While a
yoke can be fastened to two oxen, equalizing or balancing the load pulled by
dogs or horses is as important as equally yoking a pair of oxen. The yoke connects the animals side by side but
also balances out the heavy weight of the load.
We each have more than two character categories that require
we learn to find balance in our lives.
Our character is pulled by at least 12 of these categories and we can
easily over exaggerate a few while neglecting others. We could be physically fit, for example, but
spiritually empty. We could be in shape
financially but be a poor spouse or parent.
We might even excel spiritually or intellectually but be emotionally
unstable. Like the panels of a parachute
or an umbrella, balancing isn’t just important but is also essential. Think about
how tragic it would be if one of the panels in a parachute didn’t function
properly.
Consider the apparatus of an umbrella and all of its working
parts. An umbrella has a canopy that is
divided by spokes. Each spoke is connected
to a canopy of fabric and to a wooden or metal stem. When the umbrella is in working condition,
the spokes open and close easily and the fabric is stretched to create a canopy
that protects the user from rain, snow and sun.
If the spokes break or the fabric tears, the umbrella becomes
ineffective and useless and is usually discarded and replaced with a working
model.
The highest and best use of our agency requires that we have
self-discipline. When we discipline ourselves, we strengthen our character and we can strengthen the categories of our
character necessary for us to be effective tools in the service of the Lord. When we manage the sum total of all of our
parts, we have balance and that balance creates the synergy necessary to be,
among other things, healthy, wealthy, and wise.
We neglect our weaknesses when we ignore them or fail to
notice them. Just as the parts of the
umbrella can be easily broken, we can easily get out of balance or sync. The 12 character components listed above are
like cogs and wheels in a fine watch that, when working properly, work in synchronicity
with each other. Over compensating in
one area while neglecting another area of our character may not at first seem
too detrimental. The athlete who doesn’t
focus on school may have a few good games, or even a professional sports
career, but at some point, somewhere in his or her life, the lack of balance will
become obvious. This gives new meaning
to the scripture. “Even as ye sow, so
shall ye reap.”
Let us harvest the highest and best use of our character by
balancing our attention and self-discipline in all the key areas of our lives
so that our lives will work in harmony with His. “Be ye therefore perfect” becomes a more definable
goal when we recognize that there are areas of our lives that we need to
improve, and that our God and Creator knows us and understands them and can help us reach them.
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