In a great little essay titled, “A Piece of Chalk,” G.K. Chesterton tells of a time as a young man when could not find his white piece of chalk. It dawned on him while reflecting on the episode that white is a color-not the absence of color-and that it is the same with the Christian life. Being a disciple of Christ, being virtuous, is not the absence of character but it is the completion of character. As he says, “Virtue is not the absence of vices or the avoidance of moral dangers, virtue is a vivid and separate thing.” Mercy is not the absence of cruelty, it is the active application of Christ-like wisdom and kindness.
It is unfortunately popular in our culture to view virtue as dull. That is certainly a deep misunderstanding of what it means to be a person of character. The more we develop virtue the more like the Creator of the universe we become. To me that seems far from dull.
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