A good reputation

“A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.” Proverbs 22:1
There are a few things in life that money can’t buy. One of them is a good reputation. A reputation is built from a life of consistency – either for good, or for bad. Someone might have a reputation as a thief, because they have a habit of stealing. Someone else might have a reputation for being honest, fair, and trustworthy, because those are the character traits that they consistently exhibit.
Reputations don’t change overnight. While sometimes people can have life-changing experiences that cause them to drastically alter their lifestyle – for example, they may be prone to driving recklessly, but when a close friend or family member dies in a car accident, they change their driving habits; or they may have a habit of partying hard and getting drunk, but after some ordeal involving a hospital stay they vow not to drink again – their reputation for being an irresponsible driver or a drunk will continue long after they have given that up. In those cases, how much better it is not to have such a negative reputation in the first place. However, if you have a bad reputation, it’s not too late to change that. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Cor. 5:17).