It takes a lifetime to build a reputation, and a moment to destroy it.
Have you ever considered what that actually means?
Some things you can’t seem to fully recover from:
- Paula Deen was fired from the Food Network and took a huge hit professionally for racial slurs and jokes from the past.
- King Saul turned away from God so often that the Lord eventually rejected him as king.
Some things you can somehow bounce back from:
- Robert Downey Jr recaptured his acting career with a whole lot of rehab and second-chances from influential friends.
- King David went public with his confession about committing murder and sexual sin with Bathsheba.
Some things have yet to be realized what the damage will or won’t be:
- A pastor’s angry rant was posted online for the world to comment on.
- The Bible foretells that in the end times even people within the church will turn aside from the Truth.
The problem is you never can tell which of these three will be how your particular story turns out. What is optional is what you can do in the meantime to avoid even ending up there:
- Write a hypothetical headline today that could appear in your newspaper next week about how you failed and were disqualified from ministry. What does this teach you?
- Ask a friend who won’t just tell you what you want to hear to point out any areas of your life that you’re hard-headed.
- Check with some parents of your students and inquire what their frustrations are about the student ministry.
- Say the names out loud of who looks up to you and how hard it would be on them if you messed up. Pray for them to see Jesus in you.
- Let your family or spouse ask you “why” more often.
Perhaps by doing any of these things you’d realize that your reputation is more important than your “reputation.”
- You play a prominent role in the lives of others who are trying to follow Jesus.
- You play a prominent role in the lives of others who are looking for one more reason to avoid Jesus.
Whether you’re at the top of your game or just starting out, you can be gone in an instant. What can be new is the intentional way you live.
In this era where every moment of your life could be put on YouTube at a moment’s notice, you may be tempted to act like you’re supposed to. Be careful – that leads to hypocrisy.
Meanwhile, the students and adults around you are looking for something real.
Are you more likely to become the next headline… or will you amplify the Good News?
P.S. What makes you so sure?