Wrestling with Caro

At this time of year, like many others, I become thoughtful about the past year and think about the coming year. As a family too we have a tradition of writing down our hopes and dreams for the coming year and reviewing what we wrote this time last year and generally laughing a lot!
I have read a few things recently that helped crystallise some of what 2010 has been for me:
"God is more concerned about your character than your career because you will take your character into eternity with you... "
"Character, not comfort is God's priority in your life..."
"Abundant Life isn't the absence of adversity, it is growth in the midst of it."Bob Gass.
Caro salutis est cardo, wrote Tertullian - "The flesh is the pivot point of salvation". In other words the pivot point of salvation is the Incarnation - God dwelling amongst us in the flesh which we are celebrating at Christmas time. Plus our salvation being linked to the Spirit's ongoing dealing with our flesh, our sinful, selfish nature.
So for me part of 2010 has been about Wrestling with Caro - wrestling with the flesh - God dealing with my character (again!). This I can see in many wasys, including my attitude and responses to:
having a frozen shoulder for a year, painful oral surgery, the bumps and briuses of family and church life, and the character-forming anvil of relationships.
I do have a feeling however that Wrestling with Caro will also go on in 2011 !