What are you known for? I was doing my daily Bible reading and you’re probably familiar with this story, but if you’re not, I’ll retell it in my own words. In Daniel 6, the top officials and satraps (provincial governors in the ancient Persian empire) tried to discredit Daniel by finding grounds to accuse him because he had found favour in the king’s sight, but they could find nothing to pin on him. He was trustworthy and conducted his affairs with integrity. They decide that the only way to entrap him was through his faithfulness to God. They did this by abusing the law about prayer to anyone but the king. This then leads to a decree banning prayer, but of course Daniel still prayed to God and ended up in the lion’s den. I’m sure you can recall the story from this point on.

This chapter got me thinking generally about what I’m known for. What reputation am I building in my daily interactions with people? What is it that I can’t compromise on, for whatever reason? Daniel was so devoted to God that the officials knew that he wouldn’t water down his faith and daily practice for their pleasure, even though it meant defying the kind and facing dire consequences. In your career, business, relationships, what image do you project to the world? In your yeses and nos and subsequently changing your mind, are you building a reputation of a lack of dependability? Are you reliable? Are you compassionate? Truthful? What does your work ethic say about you? What does your daily routine reveal?

When your name is mentioned in a room, what will be the consensus of those in the room about you? Now, I’m not talking about people pleasing or caring about what people think of you. I’m saying be known for something. Be so good or so consistent at a thing that people’s mind naturally drift to you when that thing is needed. If you’re a problem solver, be known for that. If you want to be reliable and dependable, show up. Let your yes be yes and your no be no. Don’t be wishy washy, neither here nor there, not up or down. Be stable, be consistent. What do you think of yourself? Are you proud of that image?

Of course, we might not have it all pinned down now, but this is a call to be conscious of our actions, our words, our behaviors, our daily habits in every facet of life – work, relationships, family – as they tell a story of how we want to be known. They go ahead of us and introduce us to a room full of strangers.