It would be good to be positively
known by both, but people’s perceptions and understandings are fickle.
August’s
Awakening, Day 3
The study of God’s word for the
purpose of discovering God’s will is the secret discipline which has formed the
greatest characters.
—Henry David Thoreau
Be more concerned with your character
than with your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while
your reputation is merely what others think you are.
—John Wooden
Coming
to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were
amazed. “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they
asked. “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and
aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren’t all his sisters with
us? Where then did this man get all these things?” And they took offense at him.
But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town
and in his own home.” And he did not do many miracles there because of their
lack of faith. Matthew 13:54–58 NIV
When
Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. “Lord,”
he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.” Jesus said to
him, “Shall I come and heal him?” The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not
deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant
will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me.
I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say
to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed
and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in
Israel with such great faith. Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be
done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.
Matthew 8:5–10, 13 NIV
We
would all want our good reputation to precede us and we would always want our
good character to always be displayed. Yet despite what we truly are, we can
never make a person think a certain way about us. We all have skewed
perceptions and incomplete understandings. Jesus Himself experienced this
throughout His life. In His hometown, where everyone knew Him and His family
and watched Him grow up, it was hard for them to get past seeing the carpenter’s
son to see the Holy Son. His character was always there, but they couldn’t get
past His reputation as being just one of them. Yet elsewhere and about, total
strangers embraced His character as the Lord of all honor and authority. His
lowly beginnings and carpenter’s son reputation were overshadowed by the
knowledge of seeing His character of Lord.
The
final part of this should now be quite evident and clear, for if your character
is noble and is known and followed as such, miracles can happen. But if people
only wish to see a preconceived reputation, then they won’t appreciate the
miraculous in you either. Be who you are and always be the best you can be and
present yourself humbly that way. The true observers will follow your true character.
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