A skeleton-free closet

A very rich young businessman met and fell in love with a rising young actress of gentility and dignity. After some time, he decided that he wanted to marry her. Being a cautious man, he decided that he should have a private investigating agency check her background and present activities first, before he proposes marriage to her. After all, he reminded himself, I have both a growing fortune and a reputation to protect against a marital misadventure. The young man requested that the agency was not to reveal his identity to the investigator making the report on the actress.

In due time, the investigator’s report came. It said that the actress had an unblemished past, a spotless reputation, and her friends and associates were of the best repute. The report concluded, “The only shadow is that she is often seen in the company of a young businessman of dubious practices and principles.”

You know what that’s called? It’s called reputation.

From the Book of Wisdom by Bell and Campbell comes this advice: “Seek and maintain a good reputation. You pay a high price for a solid reputation, for it is linked with unusual abilities. These are as rare as mediocrity is common. When it is obtained through great applied talents or noble deeds, it is almost held in awe by others and carries a certain majesty. Only a solid reputation that is proven lasts indefinitely.”

The truly outstanding thing about Daniel (from the Book of Daniel in the Bible) is that, he had 122 people who were watching his every move, who were determined to catch him doing something wrong, but they couldn’t. The Bible says, “They could find no corruption in [Daniel], because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent.” (Daniel 6:4)

Daniel maintained a good reputation. When he was nominated for high office, no one could find any skeletons in his closet, no matter how hard they looked or how far back they went. How many politicians can make the same claim?

A reputation cannot be quickly built or rebuilt. Someone who wants to improve his or her reputation must commit to a long-term and challenging effort to overcome previous shortcomings. You may never be required to demonstrate great talents or perform noble deeds, but you’ll be expected to do the right thing over and over again if you want to solidify your reputation.

Of course having a spotless reputation isn’t always all it’s cracked up to be. It sure didn’t keep Daniel out of the lions’ den. When Daniel’s detractors couldn’t find anything legitimate to pin on him, they set him up and let him take the fall in their scam. That’s when God stepped in and took care of him.

Daniel did his part. God did His. Are you doing yours?

I’ve met people of solid reputation being attacked and destroyed by people who don’t have any, and I’ve observed this: accusations against them will always be many and varied, but the honorable person will always be consistent.

I’ve been on the receiving end of such attacks, many of which were vicious. Guess what I learned from the experience? Just stick to the truth. Truth has only one version, but accusations and lies have many that are constantly-changing.

You and I have to take care of our character. In the long run, it is character that would take care of our reputation.

“A politician was enraged when he read what he regarded as a slanderous attack on his character and competence, but one of his advisers urged him to calm down and consider the question analytically.

“‘Bear in mind,’ he said, ‘There are 20,000 people in this town. One-half of those who get the paper didn’t see the story; that leaves 5,000. One-half of those who saw it don’t believe it. That leaves 2,500. One-half of those who believe it don’t know you. That leaves 1,250. One-half of those who know you are your friends. That leaves 625. One-half of those felt that way about you before they read the story. So there’s really nothing to get excited about.’”1

But this isn’t always true. An audience of even just one will matter… if that One is God.

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1 RALPH L. WOODS, The Modern Handbook of Humor, McGraw-Hill