One word controls many of us. It is socially powerful. It drives us to do acts that we either want to do or do not want to do. It is in our deepest thoughts. What could this word possibly be? Reputation
Going through a private Christian high school students are told from the first day from the superintendent, “Remember who you represent. You represent this school, you represent your family, you represent yourself, and most importantly you represent G-d.” Anyone who has gone to this school could probably quote this to you. Before going to any big school sporting event we were reminded of this. I know that private schools are not the only ones who do this. I would guess that from one time or another all parents remind their children of this.
Our deepest desire is to be accepted by others. We do crazy things to at least feel accepted, loved by at least something, and be a part of some kind of community. In my own journey of trying to find myself, I have tried to change who I am in hopes of fitting in in social situations (being a dyslexic, vegetarian with blonde hair and blue eyes but goes to a Messianic Jewish synagogue leaves a lot of time room to question where I really belong in this world).I have struggled and will continue to struggle.
Well, the truth about humanity is that everyone of us desire the same fundamental things, and even though the majority of us act tough we are ultimately insecure.
You see in a perfect world we would use these insecurities, doubts, worries, etc. to empower us, but too often that doesn’t happen. These concerns can turn us instead to be harsh, hurtful, and hateful. I personally believe if we were all just brutally honest about our fears, we may be more kind to each other and more forgiving and understanding towards each other. Really, how often are we actually honest about our struggles?
Out of curiosity I searched on the internet “Christians are” and waited to see what the computer thought I was going to type after this. What came up after was sad but not surprising:
“Christians are mean.”
“Christians are annoying.”
“Christians are wrong.”
“Christians are delusional.”
What kind of reputation are Christians setting for themselves? It seems to be that we constantly trying to cover up the fact that we are letting our insecurities and baggage turn us into being anything but Christ-like.
If Christians are willing to go through sometimes extreme lengths to have a perfect reputation then why are we so unpleasant? Unfortunately, Christians are more often remembered by our negative actions than our postive ones. I don’t think that this happens for just Christianity, but every religion, well, in fact, mankind in general.
In conclusion, once a reputation is made it’s difficult to change it. What would happen if we embrace our insecurities and let them empower us instead of tearing us and others down. Let’s start acting real and be accepting of ourselves and others.
Just few thoughts for you. Be blessed!
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