The Tire, the Turtle, and Reputations

In 2013, I came in from checking our cattle and wrote about this simple experience and what lesson jumped out at me from the happening. A couple of Dad's friends who came to visit him recently said that they never heard Dad speak damaging words about any person. I guess he always rescues the turtle.

Rescuing the Turtle

 Pulling up to the closed west pasture gate, I put the pickup in park, hopped out only to see the front left tire just a few centimeters on the edge of a turtle’s shell. I bent down to assess the situation, nudging the shell of the turtle with my boot and discovered it couldn’t be dislodged from under the tire. I quickly jumped back into the pickup and carefully eased the truck backward. After putting it into park, I exited the pickup and finally opened the west pasture gate. As I glanced back, I glimpsed the turtle moving as rapidly as possible as if understanding what a close call had been experienced.

Sometimes in life we inadvertently roll up on a conversation and find ourselves on the verge of rolling unthoughtedly over another's reputation or at least people's perception of another--much like I rolled up on the turtle.  We then have to make the choice to keep the conversation rolling or backup & save a reputation.  I thought, “Am I as quick to preserve a person’s reputation as I was to save the turtle’s life?” Does someone else’s reputation matter as much to me as my own does?

 The Bible says in Proverbs 12:6 (HCSB) The words of the wicked are a deadly ambush, but the speech of the upright rescues them. My compassion  led me to save the turtle from being crushed by the heavy tire of the pickup. Reputations have value and should be guarded. May I never lead a deliberate or premeditated conversation that ambushes an individual’s reputation and leads to the destruction of an upstanding life or promotes a perception that is not edifying or uplifting. 

Lord, as soon as I sense a conversation is going to reflect badly on a person’s character, enable me to make a conscious effort to put on the brakes as I did with the turtle to insure that no harm comes to a person’s good name.

        

Put on the brakes...                                                                    and save a reputation.