Finally, all of you be of one mind, sympathetic, lovers of your fellow believers...

“Finally, all of you be of one mind, sympathetic, lovers of your fellow believers, compassionate, and modest in your opinion of yourselves." - 1 Peter 3:8

In her book “Quiet,” Susan Cain points out an interesting phenomenon. In one century we have gone from a culture that celebrates character to one that celebrates personality. Cain argues that it was what we did in our private lives that was understood to truly define us. But now, it's who we are in public that gets us noticed. There's nothing wrong with being yourself, and being proud about it. But it sometimes seems we've become so caught up in elevating personalities that we've forgotten how to talk about character. More than ever we are living in a time when big personalities are determining our fate. Perhaps now is the time that we are called to respond not with our own personalities, but with what Peter calls being "modest" in our opinions of ourselves. Maybe now is the time to go back to the place of who we are in private first, and only then striving to cultivate a greater public presence that rests on the bedrock of character.

Prayer God, Thank you for the time to know who I am, and what matters most. Make who I am in private match who I am in public. Amen.