Some vehicles have a backup warning system. This system beeps when you start backing up too close to an object. The closer you get to the obstacle, the faster it beeps. It warns you that you will crash unless you respond correctly.

Do you want a backup warning system for your life? Do you want something that will warn you of a potential disaster if you continue in the same direction? Well, God provided a warning system which does just that: the desire for a good reputation.

We all want a good name. People go to great lengths to keep their reputation. One such person was absolutely horrified when he saw his dog come home with the neighbors’ cat. The cat was dead, but this person wasn’t going to allow his good name to be ruined. He took the dead cat, cleaned it off, blow dried it, and in the middle of the night, laid it on the front steps of his neighbors’ house.

The next morning, the neighbors told him that something very strange happened the night before. They explained that yesterday morning their cat had died. They had a funeral for their cat with their kids, and they buried it. Then somebody dug up their cat, washed it, and put it back on their front steps!

That man was trying to keep a good reputation for his neighbor, but in the end, greatly hurt his good name. Our reputation is our backup warning system for life. If losing our good name is part of the cost of doing something, then we have a reason to rethink doing it. It gives us a little buffer before we do something that may ruin our lives.

Perhaps you have already destroyed your reputation. You have blown your good name. Let me encourage you that God is a God of second chances. His mercies are renewed every morning! He offers you another chance and can wipe your slate clean. He can make your “warning system” work again.