Free Term Paper, A Coin Toss
A Coin Toss
I suppose one could say there are two sides to every
coin. The coin being myself, I know that this statement is true. Although I am a
person of many different characteristics, I basically boil down to the person I
am and the person I hope to be. What is the goal, I ask myself. So many people
strive to be so many things. For some the aim is money, beauty, security, power,
influence; who has the nicest house, who has the fastest car- the list goes on
and on. Not that any of these things are bad in and of themselves, but the moral
and ethical standards of our society have been left behind in the pursuit of
these pleasures. So, what is important? Is character even needed in the new
century? Here is where I have to believe that most people are in the same pickle
that I find myself: how do I live a happy, successful life in the company of
others? Is what I do and how I treat those around me going to effect the world I
live in? I believe the answer is yes.
Just think- if everyone acted however
they wanted to, our world be chaos! Why? Because people act and respond upon
their ethical value system. Now, are everyone’s moral and ethical standards the
same? No, obviously many different people make many different decisions both
right and wrong. However, as C.S. Lewis commented in his book Mere Christianity
(21), “human beings, all over the earth, have this curious idea that they ought
to behave in a certain way, and cannot really get rid of it”, and secondly,
“that they do not in fact behave in that way.”
People do expect a certain
standard from each other, and it is here that we find a higher law pressing upon
us, including factors that span across time, cultures, nationalities, etc. We
call this the Moral Law or the Law of Human Nature. For example, among every
nation the people agree that murder is morally wrong and should be punished.
Moral duty obliges people to act fairly, honestly, justly, etc. I bring up this
issue because this is what provides a framework for my character. My character
is developed from the beliefs and standards I find present in my life, the Moral
Law being the highest one. Now, people may argue that ethical values and morals
are relative to each individual person and situation, however, relativism not
only removes the need for absolutes, it grays the lines to what people have
agreed upon as right and wrong. And that is what our coin toss is all about. Why
should I do something right? Why should I respect others, be honest and
truthful, obey the laws of the land, respect myself, etc.? The question almost
answers itself. You can’t go wrong by doing what’s right.
Many people,
including myself, face this decision frequently: do I sacrifice my character for
a material gain? Okay, have you ever looked into a mirror and the reflection
isn’t yours? Oh, the face is the same, but you know it’s not the real you? I’m
talking about your character.
The Apostle Paul said, “I do not understand
what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do”(Rom.7: 15,
NIV). He was talking about the continual struggle we all face when confronted
with every day moral dilemmas. It truly is an internal battle to stick to your
convictions, when the other options are so appealing. The battle for character
is definitely alive and kicking in my own life as well. There are aspects of my
character that I have worked very hard to develop, and there are other aspects I
am trying to bring up to speed.
Commitment, for example, is one
characteristic of myself that I try very hard to uphold. I try very hard to stay
committed to my priorities: my family, my friends, my religion, my job, and my
education. Commitment is rooted deep into my character because it was a quality
instilled by my parents since I was young. I adopted it fully as my own when I
started seeing rewards to my commitments. Dedication to any area of one’s life
brings meaning, understanding, and growth. People will also recognize and have
trust in your commitment and involvement.
Another character trait is being
trustworthy. It is not enough to say you are going to do something, people want
to know that your action will follow your words. Being trustworthy requires me
to act out of dedication to what is right. I want people to know that I will
fulfill my responsibilities in full. The way I have tried to establish this
belief in my character is by holding these words in my heart: if you are
responsible for the small things I will reward you will larger things. I hold
myself to a higher standard, believing that I am serving not only those around
me, but also One that requires such action and will reward it later. Proverbs
says, “serve man as you would God”. To this end I try to establish myself as one
that can be trusted in both things large and small.
Integrity is one of the
personal commitments to myself. I want this character trait rooted deep within
my person, because I believe it provides the foundation for sticking to what I
believe. Integrity is doing the right thing because I know it is right whether
people are watching or not. I try to base my life on principles and beliefs that
will provide guidelines for the situations life will throw at me. I want to
become a person of undivided loyalties, an open book, where my words and my
deeds always match up. However, the world we live in encourages anything but!
Having integrity must come from who I am and who I have become. It is a given
that I will most likely make some poor judgement calls and encounter many
mistakes, but I at the same time I want to have my heart dedicated to responding
with what is right. I guess integrity boils down to the inner strength of your
character: the decision to be completely honest and sincere within yourself
about where you stand on your virtues and beliefs. Not only that, integrity
gives people a reason to have trust and confidence in the person you are and it
gives you the privilege of influencing their lives. It results in having a solid
reputation, not just a clever image.
Generosity is one other characteristic
I can mention. The act of being generous with my time, money, friendships,
ideas, love, etc. impacts so many people beyond myself. It is not about what I
can receive out of giving, but rather it is allowing someone else to partake in
my good fortune, no matter how small or large it is. Even though the natural
tendency is to hold on to those things one has worked so hard for, I cannot
count the number of times I have experienced the kindness and unselfish giving
from someone else that has brightened and changed my whole day. Generosity is
not just a testimony of a kind person but of a giving spirit that has the true
well fare of another individual in mind. Sure, it is hard to treat everyone with
the same attitude, but when you know that the greatest gift of love and
sacrifice was done for you, it places giving in such a new light. So when the
character of generosity and giving is planted deeper than my selfish instincts
and desires, then it will be the first to respond to the needs of others.
Now that I have shown you the bright side of my coin, let me show you the
dark side of it. I’m not so sure that it is so much dark as it is dull. Dull
because this is the side of my character that needs further attention and work.
I want the following characteristics to become just as strong and pronounced in
my personality as the previous ones. Why are they weaker, you might ask? I think
trials and temptations continue to reveal new aspect about one’s self. When this
happens you either turn away from the mirror or you stare all the more intently
into it. To become perfect, as God is perfect is the goal, so as much as it
hurts and reveals the flaws, deeper we must go.
I am probably not alone when
I mention forgiving is a character trait that is hard to work on. We all have
situations where we have been hurt by people’s actions and words. I have
personal instances in my own life where I continually have to deal with past
grievances and how to have forgiveness. It is very easy to become bitter and
angry, hindering growth in this area of life, and quite likely in other areas as
well.
So I need to have a strategy for dealing with unforgiveness. First I
have to realize that forgiveness is not smoothing things over on the surface. It
is dealing directly with the problem and forgiving/eliminating it from the
people or person’s involved- just like it never happened. Easy to say, hard to
swallow! Second, I will take actions in my own spirit to make this happen. I say
spirit because it is a spiritual problem.
1. I will forgive in my heart
because Christ forgave me.
2. I will act out my forgiveness, even if my mind
and emotions are slow to follow.
3. I will continually go to the Lord in
prayer to overcome this area.
4. I will continue to read verses and other
literature on forgiveness to strengthen my character.
Forgiveness does not
just happen. It takes a change of heart. So, I resolve to do my best to forgive
the issues in my past and to work hard building up forgiveness as a strength in
my character.
Time management is another responsibility I need to master. I
believe that time is a gift from God and should be taken seriously and used
wisely. I have the tendency to procrastinate and make excuses when it comes to
time, and it is an area that I definitely want to improve upon. Being able to
manage your time wisely is not only being responsible to God, but also to others
who are depending on you. How will I work on this aspect of my character?
1.
I will value time as a gift from God that I am accountable for.
2. I will
learn the importance of prioritizing
3. I will ask others how they manage
their time.
4. I will not put off until tomorrow what I can do today.
Managing my time wisely will not only help me achieve my goals, but it will
also give me more time for the needs of others, and even myself. I really want
to work hard on becoming strong at time-management and prioritizing for these
reasons and also for giving my character a disciplined life-style to grow in.
Criticism is another area that needs to be looked at. I am very quick to
make a judgement call on the actions or behaviors of others. I definitely need
to work on controlling my tongue. Many times I use sarcasm to make a point, and
I’m not very sensitive when it comes to mistakes. I want my words to build up,
not tear down. The Bible warns us about the danger our words can have, so I know
it will take extra effort to build positive talking into my vocabulary.
1.
Ask God for help and strength in controlling my tongue.
2. Purpose to speak
only words that will edify.
3. Practice coaching, teaching, and training/
not criticizing or demeaning.
4. Surround myself with people who like to
encourage, not discourage.
5. Learn to believe in others.
6. Remove the
plank from my own eye, before I try to remove it from another’s.
“Out of the
mouth comes the overflow of the heart”. I need to make sure I am truly honest
with the virtue of my heart. Every day I need to examine my own motives for how
I think and act. I want the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart to
not only please the Lord, but also to encourage and edify those around me. I
should be showing Christ, not some loud mouth, sarcastic cynic.
One last
character trait I would like to work on is contentment. I know I am not alone in
this struggle. It is so easy to find yourself wishing you were in a different
situation, in someone else’s shoes, or with someone else’s things. Our society
glorifies image, status, and the possession of material things. Our eye’s are
always on the newest item and the latest gadget. Being a woman, it is also hard
not to envy or desire things we see that other women have. However, the Bible
continually reassures us to be content in all matters; the things of this world
are only temporary and will fade away. Because we are constantly bombarded to
seek after new things, I must have my virtues grounded in solid, spiritual
truths that will be able to see the eternal, not just the temporary.
1. I
will read my Bible daily and keep my vision focused on the life of Christ, not
the life on earth.
2. I will examine my motives for desiring things.
3.
I will ask God to keep my thoughts focused on what is important.
4. I will
ask those I respect to keep me accountable.
It is a hard task not to be
enticed by “stuff”. I need to be content with the person I am and the life God
has given me. This is what was given to me to improve and work with, not the
lives of others, or things that get my focus off of what really is important. I
want my character grounded in the truths and virtues that are eternal. I will
make it a point to go to the Lord with my requests; He knows what I need better
than I.
So now you have seen both sides to my coin. One day I want both
sides to be as pure and bright as the other. Every day my coin gets tossed into
the air; every day it is a challenge to see which values will be tested. But the
test is worth it. Character matters. It matters before God and it matters before
those who see God through us. It is not always easy and it does not always feel
good. But it defines who we are and what we stand for.
1.
The Importance Of Having Several Different Translations Of The Bible
Having several different translations of the Bible is very important. Each
translation highlights different aspects of the book. Providing familiar
language to special groups, some interpretations mak
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Rabbis
One unaware with the ways of Rabbinic judaism would be stunned by the Rabbinic
literature. In this culture, the power of the to form the law comes before the
people, the Bible, and God's word. The Rab
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Refutation To A Bias Suggestion
"Some people suggest that the Bible, being a collection of texts written long
ago by persons much different from ourselves, does not have much (or any)
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Martin Luther’s An Appeal To The Ruling Class Of German Nationality As To The
Amelioration Of The State Of Christendom
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altering the truth that is stated in the
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Martin Luther
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Gilgamesh
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Personal Writing: Gifts
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How Owen Meany Is Compared To
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Christian Reformation
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Faustus Essay
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