Character and Reputation

I admit that I have become a LinkedIn junkie. I so much enjoy looking at different posts by others that have simple quotes. I end up reposting these so my larger circle of friends can see them and learn from them as I do everyday. This last week there was a quote by John Wooden. It talked about the difference between character and reputation. It is a rather convicting statement in that I too often get wrapped up in what others think about me instead of doing a self-assessment to see if I’m a person of true integrity and character. Yes it hurts when someone that has been a friend for a season now doesn’t like me or disagrees with something that I have done.

I remember a quote from one of the more popular Southern California mega-pastors that talked about the test of true character isn’t what you do when people are watching but your actions alone in the dark. This has always stood out because everyone, myself include, too often live double lives where our real thoughts and hidden actions are seen only by a few. Time to come into the light!

The opportunity is to see how there is always time to become more focused on your character than being a people pleaser! I know that it is easy to put someone on a pedestal truly thinking that they are better than most and have something extra-ordinary to offer in life. The truth is that my wife, family, close friends and God have given everything I have in life to me. It isn’t easy to acknowledge the part others have in my life. As I write I need to do a better job of expressing this and not act as if I know everything or have solutions to the ills of life. The truth is that I too am broken and desire help to discover and stay on the road to reconciliation with God, family and friends.

I think it is interesting that the quote by Wooden is next to a picture of an old man not some glamorous type of celeb! It’s time that we pay much closer attention to those who have truly lived instead of being part of the latest fad!