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Saturday, September 22, 2012

Reputations Are Important

Child 1
Child 1 (Photo credit: Tony Trần)
Even a child is known by his acts, whether or not what he does is pure and right.  The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord has made both of them.  Proverbs 20:11-12

These days, we don't hear much about the worth of a reputation.  However throughout scripture, we find portions that talk to us about how our life and what we do with it gives others the ability to determine our character and trust us.  Often, I tell my clients that if they behave in a way that is consistent with who they are, if they are accused of something they didn't do, the people who know them will dismiss the accusation almost immediately.  Have you ever heard something about a good friend and said, "that doesn't sound like Mike, you must have misunderstood."  People who truly know us are quick to dismiss information that is inconsistent with what they know to be true about us.

If we teach our children how important it is to have a good reputation, it will be a valuable asset to them as they grow up.  They will learn that what they do is often seen by people they don't even know are watching.  If a child behaves well, makes good decisions and treats people with respect whether they are being watched or not, it speaks directly to who they are.

Once they understand this, the next lesson they will learn is that their behavior must stay consistent whether their acts are seen or unseen.  What a person does when they believe no one is watching speaks more about their character than what they do in front of others.  Having the type of character that is consistently honorable breeds trust with others and shows responsibility.  A pattern of behavior that is fraught with dishonesty and inconsistent behavior tends to speak negatively about a person.

In our present day and age, the concept of reputation has become very important in terms of the internet.  There are several companies who have become successful because they search the internet to determine what is being said about specific individuals who have purchased their service.  These individuals understand that if someone is saying something about a person negatively, who may have the same name or business as they do, that needs to be corrected.  They don't want another person's negative activity to reflect badly on them.

Our children need to understand that this is a scriptural principle.  Our lives must be consistent with who we say we are if we are to be found people of good reputation.  Our speech, our behavior and even the people we associate ourselves with must all be congruent with the person we believe we are and the person we promote ourselves to be.  Otherwise our integrity is found wanting.  This is not just a suggestion.  As a spiritual principle, it always works this way whether we agree with it or not. 


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