Table of Character Traits (back) or (home)

ALERTNESS ATTENTIVENESS   AVAILABILITY BOLDNESS CAUTIOUSNESS COMPASSION CONTENTMENT CREATIVITY DECISIVENESS DEFERENCE DEPENDABILITY DETERMINATION DILIGENCE DISCERNMENT DISCRETION ENDURANCE FAITH FORGIVENESS GENEROSITY GRATEFULNESS HUMILITY INITIATIVE JUSTICE LOVE LOYALTY MEEKNESS OBEDIENCE ORDERLINESS PATIENCE PUNCTUALITY RESPONSIBILITY SECURITY SELF-CONTROL SINCERITY THRIFTINESS TRUTHFULNESS VIRTUE WISDOM

ATTENTIVENESS Showing the worth of a person by giving undivided attention to his words and emotions. Elsie is Attentive to Arthur I had been in the schoolroom by myself for about half an hour when I heard the door open. It was Arthur. I must confess that I was not pleased to see him. I was trying to work out my examples and Arthur had a habit of teasing and tormenting me so I could not accomplish anything. However, Arthur seemed to be acting different than usual. He sat right down at his desk and leaned his head upon his hand in an attitude of dejection. Wondering what ailed him, I asked, "What is the matter Arthur?" "Nothing much," he said, gruffly, and he turned his back to me. By giving my undivided attention to Arthur, I accomplished two things that day. I was able to tell Arthur, without really saying so, that I cared about him and how he was feeling. And, being attentive, I was able to tell that Arthur did not want to be confronted at that moment. In these two ways, I showed Arthur that his feelings were important and had worth to me. "We ought, then, to turn our minds more attentively than before to what we have been taught, so that we do not drift away." ~ Hebrews 2:1   The Character of Elsie Dinsmore