You Are Known, But is that Good?

You may have heard the phrase, “Your reputation precedes you”. This is called the primacy effect. It means you summarize to others your belief about a person in five words or less, and that description sticks, even if it’s not entirely accurate. For example, before we are introduced to a person by a mutual friend, we're told this person is “religious”. When we eventually meet that person, we might beleive we have to watch our language, or we are in the presence of a “fire and brimstone holy-roller”. The primacy effect is difficult to overcome once it is in place, but it is possible when we take ownership of our reputation (1 Peter 2:12). While we should never compromise our principles, we should be aware of how others may see us and determine if our reputation honors God.