Faith Fellowship Church…PO Box 1586…Broken Arrow, OK
74013…918-451-0270…Pastor Terry Dashner…
“A Character with Flaws”
Why are relationships hard to maintain? What is it about people
that stifle relationships? I think I know the answer. And that’s
why I’m writing this document. It’s no mystery. The reason
relationship in marriage, friendships, committees, groups, and
so on fail is because someone important to the relationship is
sporting poor character. (I didn’t say this was going to be a
popular topic.) It takes a well-developed, strong, mature, and
steadfast character to maintain a healthy relationship.
Recently I read a book by Dr.Louis Tartaglia entitled, Flawless!
The Ten Most Common Character Flaws and What You Can Do About
Them. The book is well written and identifies ten character
deficiencies that are common in patients that Dr. Tartaglia has
seen through the years. I’m going to list the ten flaws and
speak briefly about each one. (1) The first flaw on the list,
according to Dr. Tartaglia, is “addicted to being right.” This
is the person who would rather be right than happy. Addicted to
being right isn’t just having a strong opinion and sticking by
it. A person should always stand with his facts and speak
persuasively; however, the person that has to be right wants
everyone to agree with him. He may not have any facts to support
his position; he just has to be right. If someone disagrees with
him, that person is marked as his enemy. Do you know anyone like
this? It’s a character flaw, and it needs extensive work or it
will keep a relationship from going forward. (2) The second flaw
is “raging indignation.” It is anger here, anger there, and
anger everywhere. Raging indignation requires an enormous amount
of selfishness and lack of respect for the rights of others.
Life is sacred. When you truly believe that it is sacred, rage
becomes unethical and never useful. It is only ethical when it
is used to help you survive great danger. Raging indignation
destroys the person it controls. He spins out of control and
dies there. (3) The third character flaw noted by Dr. Tartaglia
is “fixing blame and nurturing resentments.” Dr. Taraglia
states, “Jealousy is described as being fearful or wary of being
supplanted; apprehensive of losing affection or position. Envy
on the other hand is a feeling of discontent and resentment
aroused by the desire for the possessions or qualities of
another. So we either want the affection of others or the stuff
that others have. When we can’t get them, we blame someone else
for our failings. Since jealousy and envy are never really
satisfied, chronic blamers are always failing to get what they
need. They continuously have to blame and feel resentment.” That
says it all about fixing blame and holding onto resentments. (4)
The fourth flaw is “the dread seekers—worry and fear.” Dread
seekers aren’t fun to be around. In fact they are so difficult
to live with that they are almost never portrayed in leading
roles in dramas. Their character just isn’t likable enough. They
are the stuff of comedy, however, like Felix Unger in The Odd
Couple or Don Knotts in The Andy Griffith Show. Dread seekers
are not at peace until they have adequately worried about
everything imaginable. And then they have to worry a little more
just to be safe.
Remember to pray for our nation and troops abroad. Keep the
faith. Jesus is coming soon!
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