Choose the Name Over the Check (Proverbs 22:1)

Exhibit AKey Evidence

1. The scene: Brink! (1998). “I was on Team X-Bladz once. It wasn’t any fun.”
2. Team Pup ’N’ Suds has just won the Aggressive Inline Skating Championship, and the crowd is calling Val Horrigan a cheater.
3. Jimmy, who runs the X-Bladz sponsorship, comes straight to Brink: “Val, he’s out. The cheating’s a bad thing, man. You, you’re in.” He offers Brink the captain’s spot, plus money and sponsorships.
4. Brink knows what that deal costs. Earlier in the film he joined X-Bladz in secret for $200 a week to help his family while his dad was out of work. He hid it from his friends, broke trust with them and his parents, and blamed himself when Gabriella was hurt in a race Val set up.
5. This time Brink answers, “I was on Team X-Bladz once. It wasn’t any fun,” and goes back to his friends.
6. Scripture: “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, loving favor rather than silver and gold” (Proverbs 22:1). The money was real, and so was his family’s need, but a reputation for being trustworthy is worth more than a paycheck. Once a good name is spent, it is hard to buy back.
7. When the offer comes back around, remember what it cost the first time.