What will you be known for?

People's accomplishments and achievements can be widely known. Perhaps you have a grandmother who is known for her cinnamon rolls. An uncle who has an unending list of dull jokes makes him one of the funniest guys you know. Hopefully, you are known for whatever it is you want to be known for.

In the second letter to the Corinthian church, the apostle Paul finds himself in the position of needing to correct some rumors about himself. By doing so, he highlights some character traits to strive for. He writes, "For our boast is this, ...that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity," (2 Cor. 1:12a, ESV).

Notice how Paul is not boasting in what has been accomplished but how they conducted themselves. He certainly could brag about what he and those who were traveling with him have not only achieved but also endured. They had traveled widely. Started several churches. Encouraged many faithful and shared a message of forgiveness and the eternal hope that has been embraced by hundreds from every walk of life. But he did not say "Look at all we have done." He said "Look at how we lived." A life well lived is a chapter in itself.

He is also boasting about a life of simplicity. Some translations use the word holiness. The original language communicates the idea of someone who is free from pretense. Someone whose greatest concern is not how many likes and repost they receive but the life they life. Godly simplicity then is an internal anchor that has settled into the bedrock of Christ. An anchor that says my life, my hope, my identity is fixed in Christ. Paul can honestly say that he conducted himself with simplicity and holiness because his hope and mind were set well beyond the temporary trappings that this world has to offer.

Finally, Paul is boasting about living with godly sincerity. He is doing more here than just being truthful. He is speaking truth with grace. Grace without truth tells us nothing. Truth without grace is harsh. We must have both truth and grace.

I am not sure when my days are done what I will be known for. I pray that when my days are counted, it will be said that I was known as one who lived with simplicity, godly sincerity, spoke truthfully but always with grace.