Character

There are certain character traits I have come to appreciate in a person.

1. Passion. I get along best with those who deeply believe in something and know how to energetically share it with others. Even if we don't agree on everything, at least we can have in common a similar level of enthusiasm. My mother often called this animo.

2. Transparency. Sometimes people don't like to be too direct for fear of hurting someone. For some of us, opaque indirectness can actually hurt worse. What you see is what you get is helpful when it come to people, too. I'm not always very good at picking up on cues, and sometimes I just need things spelled out.

(For whatever reason, some people are nearly impossible to pry open. That's no fun at all. I realize some people have been hurt, and we need to love them, too. Even so, the next goal there is to bring healing so that transparency is more desirable and less painful for them.)

3. Loyalty. This one can be harder to notice or appreciate. It's something that's more noticed when it's gone than while it's there. Everyone wants faithfulness in lifelong relationships. In some ways, loyalty takes it to the next level.

There are some traits that everyone should look for like love. I'm not aiming to identify universal character traits for everyone. This is just a few I've noticed and seek.

Some people have these deeper traits and also have other presenting surface issues that could potentially make relationships difficult.

Affecting both deeper and surface characteristics, we all have a fundamental character flaw called sin. This has been true since the days of Adam, and it affects all of us today. The good news is Jesus has dealt with sin, and provides a way for taking away our sin. With that established as a basis and foundation for relationships, there is a way for dealing with surface issues that present themselves.

Once a person has established the possibility of forgiveness from sin (both those committed against God and against one another), there is a framework for handling adverse events that come our way in life. (Of course, some we bring on ourselves, too.)

As much as the Gospel of Jesus Christ can transform a person, I think there are still character traits unique to each of us, and those are the kind I'm identifying here.