“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.”

Ideally, no business would ever feel like it was being hindered by anything. But, it would be naive to think that could happen. There are laws and regulations that must be followed. There are lots of discussions today about regulations that might well hinder businesses. Each industry has its own set of regulations that they have to manage against. It’s not easy to abide by those that we don’t think are value-added or that we feel like might make us uncompetitive to other companies in other parts of the world. Those of us who have been fortunate to have done business and travel in other parts of the world know that there is a certain standard that must be met to ensure safety, environmental protection and respect of human rights. What is far more troubling than when companies have to comply to a set of rules, is when a company ignores its own standards, or does something that may seem advantageous in the short-run but hinders the company or organization for the long-run. We are seeing that in today’s news. Organizations that held information to themselves to make the short-term okay, but in the long-run gets in the way of an impeccable reputation.

In our own work-lives we must manage the same. We have to be cognizant of our own reputations and how what we do, how we act, what we say, all contribute to our reputation. When we consider if we are doing the right thing, we as believers, have to think much beyond someone who doesn’t profess a faith that governs their lives. We have to consider what will hinder or get in the way of us living and working for the glory of God. As we start this week, let’s be attuned to what our actions and words can imply to others and ask ourselves, are we truly doing the right thing?

Reference: Hebrews 12:1 (New Living Testament)