.:.character development.:.

Character development is essential to a good story. Do you have a favorite character? A Disney, Looneytoons, Star Wars or LOTR one, perhaps? When we see good character development (whether in a good or evil character)- we are drawn in. We are invited into a segment of their life, captivated by their circumstances and completely helpless but to watch how they respond. These characters are embodied or "put on" by actors who play the role convincingly. But at the end of the day, those actors go home, and are themselves. 

Character development is essential to a good person. Do you know people of good, strong character? A mentor, friend or family member perhaps? When we experience good character in others - we are drawn in. We are invitied to examine our own life, captivated by their conviction and completely empowered to watch and learn by how they respond.

What kind of character do you wear?

Make no mistake - even good character is something you put on. Colossians 3:12-17 tells us to put on a Christ-like character living out traits such as compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience BECAUSE we are God's chosen people. What we wear can help identify our allegiances. Emblems, logos and symbols speckle our clothing uniting us to something bigger. In the same way, our character is a testiment to who we submit ourselves to; we put on character traits that will associate us to something bigger.

Character. {Noun}
1. Moral or ethical quality.
2. Traits that form the individual nature of a person.
3. Qualities of honesty, courage and integrity.

Don't confuse character with reputation.
Character is what someone is;
reputation is what someone is thought to be by others.

"It is unfortunate that character development is not usually a section to fill out on a resume or university application, because we all know that it is one of the most important parts of any human. It will determine your successes, failures, relationships, and ministry to others more than your talents and abilities ever will." -Cheryl Crocker

What are you doing to develop your character?
Here are a few ideas to get you started thinking...
-Keep your word; don't make promises you can't keep.
-Develop as a person; grow your maturity spiritually, emotionally, mentally.
-Admit and learn from your mistakes; take ownership and make things right.
-Study and be shaped by the Word of God; The Bible teaches us about the best character!

"God doesn't say He dwells with the best singer or the one who preaches best or the one who has the best intellectual grasp of doctrine. He does say He dwells with those who walk uprightly and blamelessly and speak truth from the heart." -Cal MacFarlane

What are you spending your time developing?
Developing your God-given gifts is important to do... but if you don't develop your character, your gifts are an empty offering to the Lord. He cares more about the heart of the giver than the gifts themselves.

Character matters.

Character development is essential.

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.:.

Removing the Veneer

It takes great courage to remove the veneer and let others see that things are not okay. When I first started reading blogs prior to starting Posture of Learning, I was drawn to authors, like Tricia, who blogged from their life experiences, including the good and the bad. I could not read enough posts from authors who were courageous enough to admit mistakes or be honest about the pain they have walked through, because I could relate to them.

I came to realize that removing the veneer can only happen

when you’ve made peace with your story in its entirety.

In my own life, there are times/seasons/experiences that are not okay, like abuse. The abusive behavior I’ve experienced is not okay, but the fact that it has shaped me and that God can use that part of my story, in its full brokeness, for His glory, is what I need{ed} to embrace. Knowing that God is redeeming and healing everything helped me accept and become okay with this being my story.

Only then, did I realize, that I could remove the veneer in my own life. I had to become okay with my own story in its fullness (which doesn’t mean saying the circumstances themselves are okay), before it became okay with me for others to see it.

I will never say I’m glad that my story includes abuse or separation. These taboo words are part of my story, but they don’t define me. And the Lord uses these situations for good. My relationship with Him, my view on life and my ability to minister to others in pain would not be what they are if God didn’t redeem these circumstances. He is working it out and molding me into the woman He wants me to be. You know, God doesn’t entrust journeys like these to just anyone. I doubt I’ll ever be glad, but I am/will continue to be okay with it.

No one's life is perfect, but some people try really hard to pretend their life is that way for fear of what others will think. I would add that there is a fear of what they themselves think. I've been there. I hid behind a veener because I wasn't okay with my own brokeness. But it didn't help me or anyone; veneers are poor coping mechanisms.

Veneers may seem to be protective, but they aren't. They come in all shades and sizes and promise fool proofing and perfection, but they are fake. The overlays don’t help heal what’s underneath. Veneers curtain us from the world, for better and for worse.


I have actual veneers on my teeth. And I get compliments on my smile all the time. But they aren't complimenting anything natural, they compliment the fake, and I know it every time they say it. It doesn't matter that the veneers match the work the braces did that my parents paid for. It doesn't matter that my teeth were naturally this white... the veneers are there, portraying a false sense of perfection.


Our emotional veneers work the same way. They portray a false reality, and some buy into it. But we know deep down that they’re not seeing the whole story. Colossians 3⁹ says, “Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices”. There is a sense in which we lie to others when we put up these veneers. At the same time, there needs to be an appropriate transparency. We shouldn’t divulge every detail to each passing stranger, acquaintance and friend. We shouldn’t give our pearls to pigs (Matthew 7:6). And your story is precious, don’t think otherwise.


But maybe, just maybe, our story needs to be shared, for our own sake as much as others’, and our veneers need to be removed… even if it’s just for a day or an hour at a time. Let’s replace false with faith, trusting in God to give us wisdom and discernment on how to navigate appropriate transparency and live with integrity.

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.:.

An apple a day

About eight years ago for an in-class high school writing assignment, our teacher placed a bowl of apples at the front of the classroom and told us to write a poem describing them. After thirty minutes, he asked for a few volunteers to read their compositions aloud. Each one spoke to the vibrant color and amazing aesthetics, even using words like “tempting” and “perfect”. For a bowl of my least favorite green apples, I must admit they did look good. That is, until he turned the bowl around to reveal that the apples had bites taken from them, were browning and had been hacked with a knife in areas.

Things are not always as they appear.
In fact, rarely is a first impression or a quick judgment accurate.

At the time, I wanted to apply this little life lesson to others, believing that it was everyone else with the mask. I wanted to conclude that things aren’t always how they appear in other’s lives. However, the lesson I took away that day was one of deep conviction, hitting a chord deeper than any green apple should strike within me.

I’m the apple, and it’s hard to admit. From the classroom to the office, in my friendships and even in my blogging, I like to present myself as colorful, vibrant and whole. But the truth is I have been wounded. I have dirty patches. I have missing pieces.

I thank God for His patience with me. He is the one that is at work in me to heal, clean and make me whole.

I can be so eager to portray myself as a whole apple so that others are impressed that it causes me to ignore the work God is doing, and his priorities in my life.

"Mark 4 // We are more impressed with the fruit. Not God - He's watching over the roots. We like the product; He emphasizes the process." -James Liira

I am not a lone apple in a bowl. I am intricately connected to the tree that gives life and allows me to keep growing and learning. God is working in my life and speaking to me, even when I may not be so sure. He works and speaks in yours too. Broken and marred as I am, there is more going on than I see, and that is a wonderful thing.

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.:.

.:.Prince Charming.:.

Disney got it wrong. Don’t misunderstand me, I’m a huge fan of Disney. I’m in my early twenties and still watch the movies from my childhood every once in a while. Alright, I confess, it’s more often than that. In doing so however, I’ve realized that they’ve done the romance world an injustice.

Prince Charming. He is an almost silent character and therein is the oxymoron.

Prince: A status of nobility, honor and respect.

To charm: The power or quality of giving delight or arousing admiration. (Who/what is charm attracting anyways?!)

Looks can be charming, from cottage settings to handsome men; we can’t deny that Disney overflows with men of healthy builds. But charm is also something that falls under rhetoric; an art adopted by many salesmen and salesladies.

“Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain…” Proverbs 21:35

Deceitful: Deliberately misleading others, typically on a habitual basis.

I don’t know about you, but charming, by looks or speech, is not a character trait that defines my ideal man. Nor is charming how I want to be described. Charm is deceitful. Charm is misleading. We are both of us, men and women, co-heirs with Christ, as we are adopted by the King. This gives us the inherited titles of Princes and Princesses. How we live matters. Let’s replace charm with character of integrity.

Integrity: The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness. Truly, integrity is how a princess and prince should be defined. Perhaps Disney didn't follow this path because “Prince Integrity” just didn’t have a charming ring to it...

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.:.

.:.Outside In.:.Inside Out.:.

“I don’t know how you keep your house so clean, Sarah!” said my neighbor as we enjoyed some much needed ‘girl time’ a few days ago.

“Well, I view it as a ministry and I do it unto the Lord. I know how a clean house can make family and guests feel relaxed and comfortable. And… I just hate messes, always have. It probably helps that I don’t have any kids.” I responded with a smile. Our conversation lingered there a bit longer before it moved on.

As I reflected further on this, I realized that the times my house appears disorganized are when my inner self isn’t right with the Lord. During times of life stresses, I can find myself trying to lean on my own strength rather than on God. In these times, the laundry goes undone just as my quiet times do. I distance myself from the dishes just as I distance myself from the Lord. I can’t go very long with a mess, so sometimes I tidy up, hoping that it cleans the state of my heart too. 

Who am I kidding?

The outward never fully reflects or affects the inward. It's quite the opposite. God works from the inside out, not the outside in. Even if my house and I are masked to look presentable, I can be a disorganized mess on the inside.  It is not until I seek the Lord, soften my heart, repent and accept His grace that my insides are cleansed by Him. And He does so faithfully.

I know He sees me clean my house and recognizes that I do it unto Him. But in those moments where I ask, “Lord, you could visit here, right?”

He gently whispers back to me and says, “Sarah, it’s beautiful. Thank you. Now will you spend some time with me? I care more about you than I do your clean tub. I want to visit you not your home, I visit your heart.”

Hospitality to our Lord isn't only in our home, it's in our hearts.

More important than a clean house, is a clean heart. How hard that is to remember and priortize sometimes! I am learning to think this way more often. I invest money in good cleaning products and time into having a clean home; and it does take time. It also takes intentional time to cultivate a clean heart. What’s the biggest difference? We can dust and vacuum, but it is God who works in us to make our hearts clean.

As the psalmist said years ago, this is my prayer today: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.