My pastor once said, God is more interested in your character traits than your comfort. To some people a concern for character may sound a little on the pious side. They may feel either that character is not too important, or that they can take care of themselves at this point.

But to the women who is married; to an irresponsible gambler, a man fleeing across the country wanted by the police, and to the man whose business career and social standing have been ruined by an unscrupulous wife; to the girl whose husband deserted her as soon as she became pregnant, the matter of character cannot be so easily dismissed.

Crooks do not go around with labels on, ringing a bell. They look, talk, and appear like anyone else. Some of them are even beautiful, charming, and lovable.

So why are character traits so important?

1. The other parent of your children. This requires christian character traits, personality traits and the intelligence necessary to guide and direct the development of growing children.

2. One who will have rather complete access to your bank account and credit. Such a trust requires not only honesty, but enough discipline to keep from squandering needed family resources for personal whims.

3. Even more important, that person will have intimate access to you; your innermost thoughts and feelings, your hopes and plans, your ambitions and aspirations. By encouraging you when you need it most, or by lending a hand or dragging his feet when the going gets tough, he may be able to make or break you. The way your mate gets along, or does not get along with your friends, neighbors and business associates can do much to determine your social and professional success.

Your parents may have had more influence upon you, but this you could not help. No one else will mean so much for your future as the one whom you choose as your mate.

Remember that you are choosing more than a companion for fun. You are choosing someone to do a total job; a job which requires a high level of integrity, competence, self-discipline and finesse. This choice is one of the most important decisions which you will ever make.

To marry a person with serious personality or character traits defects is not to help him. Usually it will make the condition worse. The following are some important questions you can start asking about character traits:

Do you both practice socially acceptable sex standards?

Are your manners acceptable to the social group with which you will associate?

Are you both sufficiently truthful and reliable to make possible good relationships with each other and with your associates?

Are you both satisfactorily honest regarding property?

Do you both have a kindly, humane attitude toward other people?

The importance of the character traits which we have discussed so far is generally recognized. Therefore we could treat them with brevity. Other character traits, quite as important for success in marriage, are less well understood. We shall now consider these traits, beginning with these questions.

How about changing each other after you marry?

Can you accept each other as you are?

Is your basic attitude toward life appreciative or demanding?