Your Decisions Determine Your Reputation

I had an interesting day yesterday. My older son and I traveled to visit his younger brother. Before we left, my son's roommate cooked breakfast -- scrambled eggs, hashed browns, and polish sausage. It took us three hours to get to our destination. We picked up my younger son, who wanted to eat lunch. We ate a pretty decent barbecue place. After lunch, we went to the only drive through cave in North America. After the cave tour, a tour led by one of the most informative and colorful young men I've ever met, the boys wanted to stop by the Mall and get a 'snacky-snack.' The 'snack' turned out to be Chinese food and bubble tea. We returned to my younger son's apartment and relaxed. We had planned to leave for home around 6 pm, but at 630, the boys decided they wanted sushi for supper. 90 pieces of sushi later, Big Boy and I started home.

Somewhere between three hour drives and three big meals, Big Boy and I had a conversation about his future. Somewhere in the middle of a rather extended, rather profound conversation, a single sentence came out of my mouth -- "Your decisions determine your reputation."

I don't know how many thousand decisions I've made in my life; do you? All day, every day, every week, every year. You, me, everyone. How do we know how to make our decisions? God has something to say about it.

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition vain conceit. Rather, in humility, value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others." (Philippines 2:3, 4)

"Let us not love with word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.'" (1 John 3:18)

Each one of us has a strong sense of of self-preservation. But what if it's not ourselves we need to preserve; what if it's those around us. On each of my forearms -- in Thai on my left and in Chinese on my right -- "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13).

Jesus helped a lot of people. Charity was part of who Jesus was; not all, but a part. Jesus also claimed to be equal God. "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believed in Him should not perish, but everlasting life."

A couple of years ago, I came to the realization that if we lived our lives the way the Bible instructs, we'd all be much better off, even if we didn't believe in God. Both of my sons seem to have walked away from the faith of our family, but I keep praying for them and talking to them about how they live and the decisions they make. Despite their lack of outward signs of worship, they still make good life decisions...most of the time.

Not one of us, however, is perfect, well except Jesus. We make mistakes; we rebel against authority; we do our best to control our lives, our destinies, when it is our destiny to follow. Instead of saving, we are hard-wired to serve. "Let your light before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify God who is in heaven." (Matthew 5:16)

During our conversation, Big Boy told me that he understood about my religion. I think I surprised him by telling him that all religions are the same -- with their rules and traditions and judgement. I also told him that my faith was in Jesus Himself. At the same time, I want to treat others the way God treats us -- with mercy.

At some point in the time, it either came to me or someone told me that the Cross was a perfect symbol of out lives. the vertical beam represents our relationship with God; the horizontal beam represents our relationships with others. When Christ was nailed to the Cross, His arms were spread out to remind us that God's love embraces all of us. His head and feet were attached to the vertical beam to remind us that Christ is the liaison between Heaven and Earth; between God and humanity.

As for me, I want to make decisions that associate me with and glorify God. I'll deal with the reputation that goes with me.