From My Perspective - - -

Do you ever pause and wonder what life really means? With all the activity of people and their jockeying for notoriety, do you ever wonder “why” this occurs? On a personal level, do we ever “perform” as though we were an actor on a stage – fulfilling an assigned role and playing the part assigned to us? A famous phrase from English Literature declares: “All The World’s A Stage” – is this true and an accurate description of life and how it is lived and acted out? Note the origin of the phrase and how/where it was employed: "All The World's A Stage" is the phrase that begins a monologue from William Shakespeare’s – As You Like It, spoken by the melancholy Jaques. The speech compares the world to a stage and life to a play, and catalogues the seven stages of a man's life, sometimes referred to as the seven ages of man: infant, schoolboy, lover, soldier, justice, pantaloon (an absurd old man), and second childhood…(Copied from: Wikipedia). The monologue begins: “All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts…”

Let’s focus on the line about the behavior and activity of “all the men and women - - they have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts…” When one considers Christian Character and the ultimate possibility for a solitary life, an excellent definition is submitted by Bill Gothard:  “Character is the inward motivation to do what is right according to the highest standards of behavior in every situation. Character consists of the stable and distinctive qualities built into an individual’s life that determine his or her responses, regardless of the circumstances. Character is the wise response to the pressure of a difficult situation and what we do when we think that no one is watching. It is the predictor of good behavior.” It is a reference to how one will live his/her life amid pressures, adversity, opposition, conflict and peril. How will one perform and what will one project in such times? The challenges to a principled life will come – some frontally, many others in more subtle ways. People whom you consider loyal friends will prove otherwise. Those you counted on for support and encouragement – some will desert you. Many times, you will have to face all the challenges that come along all alone. It is a scene reminiscent of Theodore Roosevelt’s, The Man in The Arena -  "It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out howthe strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

What is one way to prepare for the unknowns as one seeks to model Christian Character consistently? There are several places one can begin, but focus on just one – Ephesians 6:10-18 (The Message):“…God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way.  This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels. Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long…” Are you ready to be measured in the arena? This is not a stage or staged performance – this is reality with all of its ramifications? Can you be counted on to stand with those of like precious faith – those of whom it is said, “the world was not worthy” (Hebrews 11:38) and having done all – to stand? We need to be prepared for such a moment. The time is not far off when we will have to enter the arena – maybe all alone – so don’t falter and don’t let your knees buckle. Be strong! Consider these things with me!