S8E18: Discerning Character Change

In a couple words, how would you describe the best coworker you’ve ever had? Maybe kind, honest or hard-working. Now, how about the worst coworker you’ve ever had? Those words might be harder to come by. We don’t tend to use terms like slothful, cruel or proud these days.

In Western culture, we’ve slowly lost the ability to describe other people’s character, which has in turn compromised our ability to discern other people’s character.

It wasn’t always like this. Take, for example, this Help Wanted ad in Saunders’s News-Letter from March 1778:

COOK WANTED

WANTED by a Gentleman who resides in the Country, a Person capable to serve as Cook and Housekeeper, who must perfectly understand the making Bread and raising Paste, and be well recommended for Sobriety, Diligence, and Honesty. Any Person so qualified may hear of a Place applying to the Printer hereof.

The Country Gentleman was looking for someone whose character was defined by sobriety, diligence, and honesty. There was language for such virtues, and confidence they could be discerned.

In our culture today, without the language for character, we take shortcuts. In hiring decisions, we don’t know how to discern or describe character, so, for example, we simply screen candidates out based on their criminal record.

But the Bible teaches that it’s possible to discern character—and that people can change. Is it possible that somebody who at one time in their life committed an action that was dark and wrong, now could have a consistent way of living in the world that’s good and helpful and totally adequate for a specific job?

As disciples of Jesus, we can be advocates for the wisdom that comes from discerning character in our workplaces, in hiring decisions and beyond.

Sources:

Matthew 7:15-20 (NIV)