This week presented me a higher concentration of difficult conversations, mediation and conflict resolution. As a result, I am more keenly aware that so many issues that take place within the walls of a church are caused by the need to manage our image. Closely tied to that is pride, lack of humility, insecurity and fear. We care way too much about how others see us. Therefore, we fight to manage the image we want people to see, oftentimes compensating for the people we really are. We spend so much time and energy fighting to defend our reputation and image that we are too tired to be about the bigger things in life. It's a problem, and it's a problem we all identify with to one degree or another.
I wonder how John the Baptist felt when he was being falsely accused of horrible things while serving a prison term for standing up for the right thing? I bet he wrestled with that. I hope he knew that Jesus called him "the greatest man ever born of a woman." If he did, I bet it helped...maybe even helped to the degree that he no longer even heard the voices of others. Because of what Jesus thought of him, he didn't have to manage his image. Why do we?
