a few years back, i downloaded a desktop wallpaper for my computer from the nike website. it was a black and white photo of steve nash alone in a gym shooting baskets. at the top of the wallpaper was the quote, “the true test of a man’s character is what he does when no one’s watching.” by john wooden.
at one time, i used to love the nba. being from indiana i pretty much had to love basketball and since my beloved pacers sucked at the time, i became a big fan of the phoenix suns and steve nash. i don’t know if i could relate to him because of his hippie like hair (my hair was long like his. sort of) or if i just liked his game. and i have no idea if that statement was something steve nash lived by or if it was just a clever way of selling shoes.
there’s a lot of humility in that picture. it says, “i don’t care if anyone sees me working hard or not, i’m still going to do it. “i liked the wallpaper and used it for about three years. at that time, i had recently recommitted my life to Christ after years of running from him. i didn’t have any christian friends or really any christian people in my life at that time who could keep my accountable or encourage so having this reminder served a great purpose. every time i would go online that would be the first thing i saw. it was a great accountability partner, it was a great statement of faith, and for me it was a great reminder of the importance of character.
so, i went out and bought a book about what a man’s character should look like and discovered that God calls every man who follows him to a high standard. if we truly know God and desire to know his heart, then we know the importance of character in our lives.
God’s word says in zecheriah,
“And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people’; and they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’”
i believe the greatest developer of a man’s character is how he deals with struggles or life’s stresses, especially when we’re alone. i also believe that God knows a man’s heart and can see what we’re doing even when nobody else can. the bible backs it up. God’s been reminding me lately that he sees everything, even when nobody else does. i’ve forgotten that promise of his, and minimized his power in the process. God’s heart is one of character and character should be defining me as a man. the image of being alone in a gym, trying to get better at a game used to motivate me to do the same. i needed to be on my knees every day face down before God. i need to spend time in his word trying to learn from him. i’ve forgotten these things and how important they are.
as a dude, it’s hard to get motivated to sit still for a half an houror more and have a quiet time. saturday morning i had half my foot removed (not 1/2 but it feels like it) and i was forced to sit all weekend. freakin blew/blows. beautful 70 degree weather and i hop-along-cassidy’ed my way through it from the kitchen to the couch. God was teaching me a lot in that, mostly that i need to get back to the basics of spending time with him.
there are so many other elements of this that God’s been rooting out. i used to serve in a lot of ministry until i walked away all burnt out a couple years ago. God showed me that for a while there the praise of man was really pushing me along in those arenas. crap. even now as i try to be mr. holy or johnny do good i find myself thinking yeah, i have to say this right now because that person’s watching me. more crap. or christians usually say something like this. crap-tastic. the more time spent selflessly alone with God behind the scenes, the less of that crap that comes out.
anyways, it comes down to humility and working hard, not for man’s sake, but for the sake of character. Lord make me more aware of it.
