What do you think o
f this fortune?
Circumstances do not make the man, they merely reveal himself to himself.
Initially, it speaks to me of integrity in all things. If you lie in small things, you’ll lie in big things. It means if you’re selfish when you have a little, you’ll be selfish when you have a lot (and vice versa).
But I also think about how circumstances have changed me. Here’s an example, I always thought I handled emergencies well. I had several examples of keeping my cool in the heat of the moment. And then, a few years ago, my son had a medical emergency, and I lost way more than my cool. I lost my mind until the ambulance driver gave me a little shake and brought me to my senses. I’m not hysterical, but in those circumstances I certainly was.
So believe me, I get circumstances. There are definitely times where it’s harder to be who I believe myself to be than others. I don’t think I put up with a lot of BS. Yet, in certain relationships, I have put up with enough BS to fertilize several small countries (e.g. Austrailia).
And you never hear this about good qualities.
“You’re so generous.”
“Not really, it’s just the circumstances.”
So, Let’s discuss: It’s circumstantial. Truth or excuse?
Interesting question, Charise. I too have been in situations where I reacted differently than I would wish, or even would normally do — due to “circum-stances.” However, I think our challenge as believers is to allow Christ to conform us to His character so that we live with greater integrity despite circumstances. So for me, the answer is BOTH – circumstances bring out aspects of my character that I may wish were not present; but using circumstances can also be a cop-out to taking responsibility for my own actions. I don’t have it down yet, but am working on it!
I like what you said about responsibility. Maybe it’s not either/or as long one takes responsibility. Good thought. Thank you!
I think circumstances reveal character. When we react to an unusual or extreme circumstance in a way that seems out of character, we’ve simply encountered something that affects us so deeply it causes us to lose the level of control we usually have over our behavior. I think most mothers would panic if their child was in serious danger, and most people would put up with a lot more BS in a relationship they were deeply invested in than they would otherwise. I thought I was a patient, even-tempered person until I had kids!
Hmmm…another good thought. We can only know about ourselves (and others) what we know from the circumstances we’ve had thus far. Thank you.