Intentionally maximize the single season to nurture virtuous Character.

Character is the physical expression of the values in a person’s mind. Values are principles or standards of behavior. Meaning our values shape our Character. Your Character is very fundamental to your personality. We need to Intentionally maximize the single season to nurture virtuous Character.

Some fundamental tips to help us nurture virtuous Character include:

1- Getting the right values of our lives by Identifying with God our Creator.
The manufacturer of every product knows the best values which will enable the product function in the best of its abilities. We need to Identify with God through Jesus Christ.  God is our creator. He knows every details of our lives and the purpose He created us for (Genesis 1:26-27). He has the complete manual for our lives and only Him can give us our identity and our identity in Christ shapes the way you think and live.( 2 Corinthians 5:17). When we identify in/with God, He our moulds our identity and destinies. For example, Gideon (Judges 6:1-11), Abraham and Sarah (Genesis 17:5 and 15).

Our creator God Almighty has the right values which will enable us get the right character. These values are contained in the word of God. We need to go back to God through Jesus Christ, get the right values for our lives and instill these values in our hearts so that it can produce the fruit of godly character in us. Galatians 5:22 shows us the core character traits which come as a result of identifying with our creator is which include: Love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

2- Be intentional about feeding yourself with right content.
The deep-rooted things in your mind can influence your values. Things get into your mind basically through your senses like seeing with your eyes, hearing with your ears etc. Intentionally choose your content so that the right content can transform your mind, shape your values and your character will just be an expression of this.
For instance persistently reading or hearing the word of God helps implant the values of God such as love in your heart. When you believe this word and let it transform your mind, then this will be expressed in your character
You can also read books, listen to motivational speakers, and attend conferences and so on. Nevertheless, just make sure the content is healthy and will help in building you.

3- Don’t be proud. Be humble to learn and one way of learning is through mentorship.
Your mentors should be people who hold same VALUES as you and who can tell you when you go wrong. 3 types of mentors can help you in character development:
– Upper mentor: Someone with similar values who portrays the character and qualities you aspire to have. This person should be someone who can advise you and correct you when you are going wrong.
– Peer mentor: Peer mentors may include the people you spend most time with and your friends (but not all your friends.) You may have many people or friends around you, but you need to have a few inner-core friends who have similar values like you and express or aspire to express virtues character. This is important because our close associates play a great role in feeding our minds. For instance persistent discussion gives us information which gets into our mind and can influence our values.
– A junior mentee: A junior mentee is someone who looks up to you. Mentees act as a check to your growth. Knowing that someone is being inspired to nurture character by looking at your character helps you to be intentional about expressing the right character. This is because of the awareness that what you do affects your mentee. So the mentee is like a check to you.

 4- Service.
Constant practice also helps in nurturing Character. Service is an opportunity for practicing and nurturing character. Your area of service can be the family you live with, your job, your church, your local community etc. You can utilize your area of service as a platform to practice respect for others; generosity; patience with others, self-control etc.

Character development does not start or end during single season. Life is a journey and character development is persistent at all seasons in this journey. So single season is part of that journey where you have most time to yourself and you can maximise it to develop virtuous character.

God bless you!