Pr. 27:2: “Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips”
We sometimes want to brag on ourselves for a number of reasons, but man, isn’t it so much better when some random person brags on us? It really is. (Although I do occasionally tell people when I complete I’ve been putting off and tell them, point-blank, to be proud of me. 😛 )
I’d also rather brag on someone than to hear them go on and on about their own accomplishments. ha! It may surprise some of those people to hear that, but when you are doing a good job of something it usually doesn’t go unnoticed.
I was helping in a 6th-8th grade cooking class this year and there was a student that was constantly looking for ways to be helpful. Honestly, you couldn’t have stopped her if you tried. She went out of her way to be helpful; even staying longer than the other students to make sure everything was cleaned up. She also had a smile on her face and was just a delight to be around.
I praised her several weeks in a row. Then, one week, as I was drying the dishes she was washing, I asked her about her helpfulness. She told me that her New Years Resolution for 2018 was to be more helpful. Well, she was definitely nailing that one! What a lovely resolution.
I was reading Eph. 5 this morning that said that we should be imitators of God. Jesus said that He came to serve and that we should do the same. This young lady had resolved to imitate the greatest Servant I know, and I know that I’m not the only one who noticed. Her obedience to His Word will earn her a reward from the Father.
Jesus said, “So the last will be first, and the first last,” and “He who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Mt. 20:16, Mt. 23:11) Not only has she learned and chosen to humble herself, but she wasn’t shouting it from the rooftops for everyone to know. It was only after I praised her and asked her why she was choosing to act so differently that she confided in me that she had made that resolution.
I was more than happy to praise this helpful young lady! She had no need to brag. I guess that’s the thing with being obedient to God’s Word. When we are truly doing what it says, it works out just as it says it will. Amazing, huh!?
This 8th grader can teach us a lot today. Let’s learn from her example and start humbling ourselves the way Jesus told us to. God will reward us, whether on this side of eternity or on the next. You can count on it!
On the flip side, when we see someone doing just that, let’s make sure we say thanks!
jamie
considering the word 