Don't Even Give Me A Smidgen Of Praise!!
Posted by:
Bible Blogger on
May 30, 2007 at
9:05AM EST
I had a bulletin this morning from a friend and it mentioned her new
blog. As I read the blog, it was encouraging to see the honesty of
someone willing to admit their past without putting spin on it and
accepting the responsibility of their actions. She acknowledged the
pain she had caused both to herself and to her family and the struggles
that she faces even today dealing with the consequences of her sin.
She then went on to express frustration when someone would praise her
for being an encouragement or someone that a person could look up to as
they were transforming their life and looking to change. She was
almost ranting that they were to give the praise to God and not her.
While I agree we are to praise God...and I once felt the same way...I
had a pastor talk to be about this issue and I felt led to share with
this woman in the same manner. Below is my response to her blog and I
hope that perhaps it may minister to some of you as well.
"OK...please don't take this as condemnation because it's not meant
that way. Your honesty is refreshing and too many Christians don't
reach the level of brokenness that you clearly have experienced.
I think you need to reconsider your position when people give you encouraging praise.
There's two things to consider here. First, are we not God's hands and
feet on this earth? If that's the case...and we are the Body of
Christ...then we are also His mouth on this earth. Just as the Bible
says we are to speak love to others and to tell them the truth of
Christ I believe we are to also be the voice of God to speak
encouragement and uplifting words to each other.
Remember how we're all waiting for the day when we get to Heaven and
Jesus looks at us and says "well done, good and faithful servant"? I
don't believe this is the only time that Jesus would want to tell us
that we're doing a good job. Just like a parent encourages their child
as they go through their day so too does God encourage us as we go
through our lives. He can very easily use another human to speak
something into our lives that is encouragement and "praise" to us.
Remember the "praise" you're receiving isn't for anything you're doing
but being obedient to God. That means the person who sees that
recognizes your commitment to the Lord and part of that commitment is
your humility to say it's all Him. That's part of the package that's
radiating the beauty of Christ to others. There is really no need to
continually point it out.
Secondly, you're really robbing those giving you praise of a blessing.
They're feeling led to give you a blessing and when you bless others
you bless yourself. If someone comes to you and says you've been an
inspiration or that you're doing a great job by being so sold out to
Christ then don't essentially throw it back in their face. Just as you
get a good feeling when you do something through Christ to encourage or
uplift another so too does someone get that feeling when doing the same
for you. Don't be a potential stumbling block to them by immediately
saying "well, it's all Jesus." They already know that because they see
it in your life.
It's hard when you've walked a harsh road to get to this place and then
turn around and allow people to give you those encouraging praises. I
know that I've had problems with ego and pride in the past and it took
me a while (and a very wise pastor) to bring this view into focus in my
life. Look at this from these Scripture verses I'm sure you know:
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever
is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable,
if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise,
think about these things." - Philippians 4:8 (ESV)
So many times we want to latch that onto an action or some kind of
ministry movement for that passage but it can also apply to you or I if
we're placed by God where we are an encouragement to another through
our obedience to Him. If someone sees us as worthy of praise...and
therefore thinks about us...they'll pay attention to our deeds and our
focusing on Christ. We don't need to keep telling them about it
because they see us live it. Now, that puts a lot of pressure on us
because we're in the "spotlight" (so to speak) but it's also the life
we've been called to live by Jesus.
So while I completely agree we need to make sure their eyes are turned
toward Christ, we also need to allow ourselves to accept the
possibility that God is working through those people to do a few
things. First, it confirms to us that we're in His will and that we
are working toward the prize God has in store for us at the end of this
race. Second, it allows them to experience the joy of blessing others
as we ourselves are blessed. Third, it gives us the chance to turn our
own eyes back to our Father and thank Him for the gift He's given us in
blessing that person enough they felt moved to give praise in our
direction for our obedience to God. Just like a child is pleased and
thinks of their earthly fathers when someone praises their good
behavior so too do we think of God when this happens to us."
