“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22)

I would rather have character than be a character. Let me explain. When I was a child my father would sometimes refer to somebody as being a character. Usually that person had done something a little bit naughty or a little bit goofy or said something a little bit strange. I came to view being a character as not necessarily a good thing.

Having character is different. Your character, or the personality traits that define who you are, form the basis of your reputation. Your reputation is valuable. In fact, as a youngster, it may be your most valuable possession. To demonstrate this to my seventh grade students a few years back, I had each of them determine their net worth. I asked everybody in class to make a list of their possessions and give each item an approximate value. They listed things like clothing, bikes, and video games. Some added up their savings accounts and piggy banks. One student listed his dog. When they were finished I asked them to add up the total amount of stuff they owned. I asked one student, “So, how much are you worth?”

“If I figured right, about $672,” he said.

When Paul wrote this passage to his friends in Galatia, he reminded them that acts of the sinful nature are easy to see. When you are jealous, angry, selfish, stubborn, disobedient, or mean, it is obvious to everybody. If those actions or emotions are repeated often enough, they will form your character. Your character will shape your reputation. Who would want to be remembered as that mean, angry, selfish child from seventh grade?

It’s the same way when you are kind, patient, helpful, joyful, and well-behaved. Those actions and emotions are also easy to observe. As Paul said, they are the fruits of the Spirit. When you were baptized, the Holy Spirit of God created saving faith in your infant heart. As your body grows, your faith in Jesus will grow, too, as long as you nourish it properly with God’s Word. Your faith in Jesus as your Savior will be demonstrated by your behavior. Wouldn’t it be pleasing to be remembered as that kind, patient, helpful, well-behaved child from seventh grade?

What are you worth? To people in the world you may be worth only what you can do for society. But to God you are worth the price of Jesus’ blood shed on the cross for sins—that is priceless. God has made you His child by baptism. This means that you are a child of God and an heir of heaven. How much is that worth? It is a gift from God through faith. The world prizes characters, but Jesus has given you true character as His child.

Daniel Madson is a former school teacher and now a member of Abiding Shepherd Lutheran Church in Cottage Grove, Wisconsin.