I am still rolling around the idea of how the spiritual realm responds to my daily decisions that my friend shared with me.  I don’t understand what all is involved with the spiritual realm completely but I do get the idea that good and evil are fighting for my soul and that they are all watching me (and you) to see what decisions I will make (and you will make) and one group or the other is celebrating the little victories.  Wow, how I hate to think I have disappointed the heavenly hosts of angels, as I have too many times.  But, WOW, how I love to think about what the good guys are doing when I choose to follow God’s will, when I choose to walk in the footsteps of Christ. 

All this has added a potential new chapter to my book-in-process idea about how we think about “our” reputations.  Most of us in my generation and older have certainly heard that our name is important, meaning the way people see us is something we should be highly concerned with.  I think the danger with that thinking is that it can cause some to take pride in their name and what they are doing and pride can lead to some sinful decisions.  I think the other danger is that we forget which name we carry that is the important one.  My family name is known by many but doesn’t lead to eternal joy.  The name Christian is the name I want to take stock in, the name that I want to glorify.  I have heard Proverbs 22:1 pointed out as the source for why so many hold their name, their reputation, their good deeds, in high esteem.  On the other hand, I seldom hear reference to Proverbs 21:24. 

I must be careful what I hold up as important.  For me, concern with my family name leads to pride that leads to doing un-Christlike things to try and protect my name when what I really need to do is be honest about my temptations, my thoughts, my sins and my victories.  I have control over all of them but to stop and think who is celebrating with me when I give in to temptation and sin as opposed to who celebrates with me when I follow the path to victory is much more awe-inspiring than to think about who thinks I am a good person.  If I spend my days celebrating with God because I am living in accordance with His will, my name is the last thing I will need to worry about.

Grace and peace to you.