How many people have Core Values that they will not abandon during tough times?

What are Core values and how does a person know if they have them?

Here are a few possible standards or beliefs to help highlight this topic:

* Do you believe in God?

* Do you believe in helping others?

* Do you hold that families have a high importance for society?

* Do you believe that one must always be honest in their dealings with others?

* What is your view of human life, is it sacred?

We can add hundreds of items to the list above, those are meant as examples, not as a list of what people must hold.

Whatever your core values, do you live by them or do you bend and sway in the culture’s winds?

The words, integrity, character, and steadfastness seem all but lost today. If a favorite cause hits our society, it seems many dump what used to be their personal standards for the new flavor crossing the nation. Is that a sign of individuals holding authentic integrity in what they believe, or does it reveal that many do not hold core values and quickly follow the most popular opinion on every issue? Take note that this topic can (and does) apply to nearly every walk of life–politics, religion, faith, family life, education, etc.

Have you taken the time to learn and genuinely consider life’s more important issues? If you have, do you have a well-formed standards system that causes others to think of you are as one who stands firmly against the often changing societal winds? Can others rely on you knowing that you are a person of rock-like standards and values?

Core values are what they sound like—they are standards for living based on a person’s morality, ethics, and character, and they are not changeable under pressure from others. They are arrived at only after much study and consideration (and often deep prayer), and they constitute the firm center of a person (they are part of what makes an individual who they are).

For those who are Bible believers, this topic is covered well in the following passage: For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths. [2 Timothy 4:3-4 RSV]

Do you find yourself searching for teachers (or other people in general) that will tell you what you want to hear, or who will say things that support your own desires and beliefs? Have you ever taken account of the times you made a choice against your personal core values and contemplated why you walked away from your center?

I pray we will  develop and stand fast in moral and upright core values. Those around us should be able to tell who we are, even if they don’t agree with us, our values should not be hidden.

Thanks for reading,

T.P. Johnson