Character or Image?
Trinity Life Church of San Diego
Pastor MarcPeña
January 2009
Blagojevich… Haggard… It’s
not a new story. In fact, it’s a very old and played out one. You know how it
goes don’t you? Someone with great vision and ambition embarks on a noble quest
to bring meaning and significance to their lives. Sometimes in service to God,
sometimes in service to humanity, sometimes a bit of both. But
something happens along the way…
The crowds get bigger, the
lights get brighter and character begins to fade into the shadows. Words are no
longer spoken in authenticity out of a reverence for God or in the service of
people. Instead, they become the paint and veneer for something much more
grandiose and far less important – Image.
What bothers me the most
about the ex-governor of Illinois and former pastor and president of the National
Association of Evangelicals is not the measure of their guilt (something that I
admittedly know very little about), but the way they seem to incessantly desire to hang on to the spotlight, even if it’s by a thread. The result? The
unraveling of public confidence and trust in those whom we look to for
leadership. For when image becomes everything, character means nothing.
Whether in the arena of
public and political discourse or in the sanctuary of the Church, character
always matters. Always has… always will.
“Keep your heart with all
vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”
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