https://twitter.com/aunty_tracey/status/963444701927038977/photo/1

Someone asked for vaseline or lip-balm and were handed what looked like glue.

I was so confused. And I interjected “I don’t think that’s lip balm.” And I was reassured that it wasn’t.

Mmmhhmm

It was indeed lip balm.

Well me and the audience (the people present at the time)  were a bit taken aback at first and rather reluctant to use it. I remember laughing at the thought of applying glue on your lips instead of Vaseline.

Imagine, a detergent manufacturing company suddenly releasing soft drinks under the same name. Like domestos soft drinks.

A hard pass.

I wouldn’t be keen on buying or drinking the soft drink. I thought twice about using the lip balm because I know what the company is known for.

So it’s about reputation. It applies to people too, it applies to us too.
You steal – you’re known as the person who steals, the person thief
You gossip- you’re known as the gossipmonger, you cannot be trusted

So sometimes, people’s approach towards you is based on what they know about you (or think they know about you). They could gravitate towards you and want to stick to you like white on rice

Another pun!

or, they could run from you like you’re the plague.

It be like that sometimes. Unfortunately.

Of course,  I’ll say be wary if your actions, be known for good things. Be kind, reliable, sincere… the list goes on, there are scores of good things you can be known for

But let’s say “thou liest in reputation sick”
Like your reputation is ruined so to speak. You can change, its never too late. Every day, scratch that, every second is an opportunity to make a decision to take a step in the right direction. Don’t wait for tomorrow, don’t wait for next year.

People may still have certain ideas about you despite you making efforts to do what’s right. They could view you as suspiciously as I viewed Pritt lip balm, but nevermind that.

People are prejudiced. I am prejudiced, I have some reservations about some people and some institutions. (Trying to work on that by the way)

But NEVERMIND.

What matters is what God sees. What matters is what God thinks about you.

The fact remains that there is actually lip balm in the container and not glue.