June 12, 2023
Joe Brockinton ’74
Retired
Colossians 3:3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
A female student entered my office, distraught over comments that were being made about her by other students. Through her tears, she told me the rumors that were circulating about her which she adamantly declared were untrue. She could not believe anyone could say those kinds of things about her in a Christian community. In her mind, her reputation was being ruined by these vicious rumors.
Rather than focus on the rumors we talked about things we believed to be true in her life. She shared her commitment to Jesus and her desire to be all God desired her to become. I affirmed the things I saw in her and encouraged her to believe what scripture said about her rather than dwelling on the rumors. As her tears slowed, I reminded her that David also had moments like this and expressed them in the psalms.
Together we read Psalm 63 which begins “O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; my soul thirsts for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water” and concludes with “But the king will rejoice in God; everyone who swears by Him will glory; for the mouths of those who speak lies will be stopped.” I encouraged her to pray this psalm every day until she was able to put her faith in God’s truth like David did. We prayed together that the mouths of those who speak lies would be stopped.
Just before she left my office, I felt compelled to say, “If you take care of your character, God will take care of your reputation.” In the years since that incident, I have repeated that phrase to myself and others and taken solace that God has my back as I allow Jesus to shape my character.