How you become who you become

I went to see The Iron Lady the other day, a movie about the life of Margaret Thatcher. Good stuff. She was one tough cookie. There were a lot of great quotes and leadership insights in the movie. One quote that stuck out was one that is attributed to many, long before Thatcher. And who knows if she actually even said it. However, it is certainly an axiom by which she lived.

"Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny."

What you thinking? What you are thinking will eventually be who you become. If you are thinking on the things of God, you will become someone who does the things of God. Are you thinking about success and money? That's what you'll pursue. Are you thinking about serving others? You'll eventually become a servant.

Character is a lost attribute, it seems, and so vitally important in a world devoid of it. The people who seem to get the most press these days are people of little character. I keep seeing commercials for the new show, "Shannen Says", which appears to be a reality program showcasing how immature Shannen Doherty is. It doesn't seem to have much character. To me, character means you've got a lot of what I call 'do right' in you. Some people don't. They're not concerned with doing right. I want to be concerned with doing what is right, whatever the cost. Character will shape your destiny. You cannot have a good destiny without a good character. It will eventually catch up to you. And the things that will eventually lead to building of our character are the small, everyday actions like thoughts and words.

If you are a follower of Jesus, and you want your character to emulate His and your destiny to be in Him, it's worth asking ourselves a few questions:

• Are my thoughts on Christ?


• Are my words reflecting Jesus?


• Are my actions in line with God's Word?


• Are my habits drawing me closer to God?

Little things today become big things tomorrow.