Struggles of a Good Reputation

It's not as easy as it seems. I've grown up with this perception that it is extremely important to have a good reputation. If you've read Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, then you know that you must be well-liked. If people think badly of you, then you could miss out on career or relationship opportunities. So, I do my best to stay on everyone's good side. Does it sometimes feel like a manipulative balancing act? Yes. I never know when I might need someone to have my back in a situation. It's difficult to make enemies this way. Why should they hate you when you've done nothing to deserve it? It's also difficult to take a stand for or against popular issues. What if that employer all of a sudden refuses to hire me because I made one comment online with which he or she doesn't agree? Then I get a bad reputation, and opportunities start to disappear. It happens more and more often these days.
Keeping a good reputation also means making every decision count. Want to go home for your 21st birthday over Spring Break instead of going on that mission trip? Too bad. People from school will assume that you went home to drink for the first time. So on the trip you go. Want to openly confess sin on social media? Are you crazy? Someone will surely judge you.
Did Christ have a good reputation? Not according to the Pharisees. He lived how God told him and made enemies. Everyone from religious leaders to government officials despised him. I'd rather not have that life, but if I'm going to be like Christ, then I need to be okay with taking a stand and making enemies. Having a good reputation shouldn't be everything to me. It's easier said than done, but God will provide the opportunities.
Thanks for reading!

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