Reputations
This lesson is actually a really old
one that God reminded me of last Saturday as I was eating my breakfast
toast. Now, a week after He prompted me
that morning to share it, I’m finally getting around to putting it into words
for you all.
I was reminded of a day a couple
years ago. Because my riding instructor
was out of town, I was having my riding lesson with her older sister
Madeline. We were both on horseback in
the farm’s arena and were heading toward the gate to go out on a trail ride. I still had in my hand the riding crop I had
been using though, and I wasn’t sure what she wanted me to do with it since our
riding had now turned away from training.
So I asked her. She turned around
in her saddle at the question and asked me to repeat what I had said. I did, indicating that time as I spoke, to
the riding crop I still held. Madeline
laughed then and explained that with my Georgia accent, the word “crop” had
sounded like a very different word. “I
wouldn’t have expected that to come from you,” she added.
Her words struck me then and
continue to even as I reflect upon that day now years later. At the time, in my innocence, I didn’t know
what word she thought I had said, a word with an identical spelling and sound
to “crop” except for an exchange of vowels, but it didn’t matter then. The lesson was still just as penetrating to
my young mind as it is today. I realized
then that I had established a reputation without even realizing it.
Every single day, we build a
reputation for ourselves by the things we do, the things we say, our morals, and
the standards we set for ourselves.
Whether we realize it or not, people are watching us in our everyday
passing interactions and judge us accordingly.
As I
was preparing to write this post, the Lord gave me a supporting illustration as
He brought to my memory a morning just a couple of weeks ago. It was a Sunday morning and the Lord used yet
again another one of my brothers in Him to speak to me through in this
illustration. That morning, something
was different about this brother. I
recognized it almost immediately; it was so obvious, I couldn’t help but notice
it. I had been attending church with his
family for nearly eight years, but there was a definite change in him that
Sunday. Maybe I was the only one who
sensed it because God wanted to use it as an illustration to me, or maybe
everyone noticed it. I don’t know. But something had come over him, and even
before he later shared his experience, in my spirit, I knew that he had been
filled with fresh joy from the Lord. It
was all over his countenance. The joy in
him was immediately recognizable and highly contagious.
That’s
how it should be, isn’t it? The presence
of God in each of us should be unmistakably recognizable and contagious to
those around us. As Christians, the
reputations we make for ourselves should not only be built upon the foundation
of what we do and say, but upon the foundation of Christ within us, which
actually will affect what we do and say.
“Be
imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love,
just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and
sacrifice to God.” (Eph 5:1) This is the
kind of reputation the Lord wants His people to leave behind. “You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it
under a bowl. Instead they put it on its
stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before
men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Mt
5:13-16) Clearly, God wants our
reputation to be one that makes people say, “There’s something different about him.” He wants His people to be set apart and
different in this world, to stand out from the unbelievers in the crowd. To set forth a reputation of being an
imitator of Him, whether in our schools, in our workplaces, our businesses, our
homes, or even in our day-to-day interactions with the cashier at Wal-Mart or
the barista at Starbucks. “The precepts
of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.” (Ps
19:8) God wants us to walk in His
holiness and light, set a good example for others, and leave behind a
reputation of integrity, righteousness, purity, honesty, humility, joyfulness,
and all things of Him. To live in His
love and be known for sharing it with others.
To allow His presence within us to shine forth contagiously in our dark
world and set others aglow for Him.
As believers, our mission is
to reach others and bring the good news of the Gospel to them, but our
reputation is also built upon who we include in our close circle of
friends. Jesus ministered to the
unbelievers, but His inner circle of friends- the guys He hung out with- were
strong believers. 2Corinthians 6:14
tells us, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have
in common? Or what fellowship can light
have with darkness?” You can tell a lot
about a person by his friends and close acquaintances. You may have the best of intentions and plan
to only influence your unsaved friends, but the people you hang out with and
allow into your personal life influence you whether you realize it or not, and
they play a tremendously important role in establishing your reputation.
So I ask you, just as I’ve asked
myself, “What kind of reputation are you leaving behind now? And is that the
kind of reputation you want others to recognize you by?” If it’s not, remember, it’s never too late to
start over. It may take time to tear
down the past reputation you established for yourself and build up a positive
one instead, but gradually, the reputation you’re associated with can
change. Even if someone were to
intentionally slander your good name, by proving the claims wrong, you could
reverse the damage of the calumny. Your
reputation is what you prove it to be, and a reputation, whether good or bad,
will outlive you and be remembered by your future generations. Make it one that neither you nor they will
have reason to be ashamed of. “A good
name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver
or gold.” (Pr 22:1)
“Be imitators
of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as
Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice
to God.”
Ephesians
5:1
~We’ve all heard of the phrase “pulling on her/ his heartstrings,”
but heart-chords? I was struggling to
decide what to name my blog. I wanted it
to be a name that was both creative and meaningful. As I pondered, my gaze fell upon my acoustic
guitar where it stands in my bedroom, and the Lord reminded me that our hearts-
our lives- are instruments. They are
constantly in song, but what melody our heart plays is each of our own
decisions. They can play a melody for
praise or for entertainment. A musician
selects his songs according to his audience.
So do we. Whether our audience is
the world or the Lord, our song will be different. This blog is designed to first, increase my
awareness in finding God and His guidance in my every day and second, to share
the music lessons He teaches me in tuning my heart to learn the chords of
praise He longs to play on my heart-instrument.
Music is a powerful tool. Use it
for His glory. “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of
praise to our God. Many will see and
fear and put their trust in the Lord.” Psalm 40:3
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