There is something amazing when two people come together and a connection is made. Think of marriage for instance. That second when their eyes connect for the first time and nothing else in the world matters because they are so enthralled by each other. That connection is a very special thing!

But this doesn’t always have to be in the context of marriage. For me I love connecting people. If you were new to the church I would bring you in and try to find a good fit for you to get plugged in so you could grow spiritually. Or when I was a manager, I would interview people and have to ask questions to find out if they were a good fit for the company. When I was coaching lower level soccer teams and had a star player that needed to be playing at a higher level, I would try and find a good fit so that they could excel and become even better.

Where things got tricky was when I was asked for a referral. For some this was extremely easy and I would go to war pushing how amazing that person is, but then there was that person where I really just couldn’t find anything good to say. The only way to give them a good referral was to lie, and I wasn’t willing to compromise my conscience for them. This really made me think about myself and ask the question “If I was to ask somebody for a referral letter, what would they say about my character? What would they say about my work ethic? What would they say about my commitment level?”

In all reality, how you live your life, is what would go on your referral letter. So really your reputation means a lot because it tells people who you are and what you have done. Why do you think jobs are always looking for references and referral letters? They want to see if you are worth being hired! Why spend money on somebody who won’t do anything and isn’t committed?

I think it is the same when we are dating and looking to get married. If somebody came up and asked me about you, and you were a womanizer, liar, and extremely selfish, I probably would tell that person that it is a bad idea to get involved with you. Why? Because I hope somebody would do the same for me… protecting me from a person who is just all show without any strong foundations or character.

So really the big question is… “What type of referral would you get?” Be honest because who you are is more important than what you do. A person with godly character will stand through the hard times and persevere to the end, while somebody who has weak foundations will run when their character is tested.

It is never too late..