When Proxy is a Poor Substitute

When I heard Condalezza Rice speak recently I was pleasantly surprised when I should not have been.  Why?  Because while I know that everything is distorted through the news media I rediscovered what it was like to get to know someone more directly rather than through a third-party.

Try as we might to be conduits of accuracy, we will as humans be "distortionists" when communicating, even when we strive to repeat verbatim.  I was impressed with Conde's humility....something I could not have detected without the in-person experience, and something I would be less inclined to believe if a third party tried to tell me.

Reputation is a tenacious dastardly thing, where stink lasts 10 times longer than fragrance.  Some people will spend the better part of their existence trying to create a reputation that is favorable whether it is genuine or not.  Others will suffer to the point of rebellion at being falsely accused.  (How often have up you heard, if I'm going to be accused of it so thoroughly I might as well do it?)

Chasing reputation is a worthless pursuit... No offense to those in the PR profession.  A good name is a powerful thing.  But it becomes good through excellence in character and relationship.  There is no solid reputation without solid relationship.  Reputation is a result, not a tactic.  Spend time doing good instead of spending time telling the world you are doing good, and your reputation will endure longer.

Take care not to worry about what people think of you.  Such a thing is a kind of innocence lost, where you're suddenly conscious of what you do and say beyond what is fitting.  Christ made Himself of no reputation to show us the love of the Father.  It makes no sense to the earthly mind.  But then, things in Heaven are upside down compared to the world.

If you really don't understand the attraction to Christ, perhaps it is because you only know Him through the proxy of believers (or those who claim to know Him) that haven't done a good job of showing you who He is.  Jesus was certainly our proxy for punishment of sins, but He did that so we could be close to the Father, rather than separated. No other human can create and maintain a relationship with God for you.   Even those who know Him well are, well, continually surprised at how much more there is to know.  First hand.