A Test of Character

“A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel” (Proverbs 12:10).
It has been said, “Character is doing the right thing when no one else is looking.” A large part of becoming a godly man rests on this principle. When it is only God and us, it is then that we find if we are willing to stand for what we profess to believe. There is no better test of godly character than how a man treats those that are in subjection to him. When a man has power and authority over another human or even a beast, whether he chooses to act in mercy or cruelty reveals the kind of man he is. Once a man is granted power, many wicked traits bubble to the surface. These characteristics were in his heart the entire time, but power exposed them.
We will never become the godly men we desire to be without being faithful in the little things. There is a popular book called Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff in which the author encourages the reader not to make mountains out of molehills. I agree, but when it comes to pursuing godly manhood we definitely need to sweat the small stuff. The mundane, inconsequential decisions are the building blocks upon which our character is formed. If we are faithful to walk righteously in the small details of life, then when crucial decisions confront us, we will have no problem doing the right thing, because we have made a practice of acting with character and integrity.