These days people are so often characterised by their sins and failures, which is so unfair. Saintly ancients in the Bible are not characterised by one-off sins. Not all are. Some such us Judas are. But there are others such as King David. He is hardly characterised by his affair with Bathsheba, except in the song by Len Cohen of course. Normally we remember King David living a holy life, though a violent one. Always true to God and obedient to God. Society could do with recalibrating how it allows celebrity culture and jealousy to drive the characterisation of people by the scandals they get into, somehow forgetting the deeds which made them celebrities. Then all of us should relearn how to be fair and how to resist those social abuses in our summing up of our associates and colleagues, family members and friends, as well as enemies too. God might then be more happy to listen to our prayers.
