Guard Your Heart, Not Your Reputation
We all want to have a good reputation. We know how important it is. Our reputation goes before us, can open doors and cause the right people to come. The Scripture says, "A good name is worth more than great wealth" (Proverbs 22:1). But what happens when you're being your best, you're honoring God, but other people tarnish your reputation? They say things that are not true, slander you, try to make you look bad, spread rumors. They cause people to have the wrong opinion of who you are. It's tempting to try to straighten people out, prove to them that what they're saying is wrong. But if you get on that treadmill, you'll never get off, because there will always be someone saying something that's not true.
Here's the key: You have to put your reputation in God's hands. Let Him defend you. Let Him be your vindicator. The Scripture never says to guard your reputation, but it says to "guard your heart" (Proverbs 4:23). If you're trying to guard your reputation, you're going to be worn out. That's not your job. Leave your reputation in God's hands. He knows how to change people's minds, how to silence negative voices, and how to cause you to be seen in the right light. He is aware of everything someone said about you. Our mistake is to get into fight mode, because trying to fix it only makes it worse. Once you fix one problem, something else will come up.
If you don't understand this principle, you'll live upset, be mad at people, and think of the ways you can shut them down or get even. That's not your job. Your job is to guard your heart. Don't let the offense, the bitterness, the poison get in you. Do your part, and God will do His part. He'll take care of your reputation. He may not stop what they're doing or shut them up, but He may cause you to shine in the face of what they're doing. Sometimes that's a bigger miracle.
David says, "God prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies" (Psalm 23:5). We think, "God, just shut them up, change their mind, show them that they're wrong." God says, "I have a better way. I'm going to promote you while they're still talking. I'm going to lift you up while they're doing their best to push you down." In spite of someone's best attempts to make you look bad, you keep excelling, you keep growing, you keep smiling, you keep being good to people, you keep seeing favor and promotion. God knows how to take care of your reputation.
Here's the key: You have to put your reputation in God's hands. Let Him defend you. Let Him be your vindicator. The Scripture never says to guard your reputation, but it says to "guard your heart" (Proverbs 4:23). If you're trying to guard your reputation, you're going to be worn out. That's not your job. Leave your reputation in God's hands. He knows how to change people's minds, how to silence negative voices, and how to cause you to be seen in the right light. He is aware of everything someone said about you. Our mistake is to get into fight mode, because trying to fix it only makes it worse. Once you fix one problem, something else will come up.
If you don't understand this principle, you'll live upset, be mad at people, and think of the ways you can shut them down or get even. That's not your job. Your job is to guard your heart. Don't let the offense, the bitterness, the poison get in you. Do your part, and God will do His part. He'll take care of your reputation. He may not stop what they're doing or shut them up, but He may cause you to shine in the face of what they're doing. Sometimes that's a bigger miracle.
David says, "God prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies" (Psalm 23:5). We think, "God, just shut them up, change their mind, show them that they're wrong." God says, "I have a better way. I'm going to promote you while they're still talking. I'm going to lift you up while they're doing their best to push you down." In spite of someone's best attempts to make you look bad, you keep excelling, you keep growing, you keep smiling, you keep being good to people, you keep seeing favor and promotion. God knows how to take care of your reputation.