“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” – Proverbs 11: 2
I could feel my blood boiling. An announcement was made over the intercom at my school, praising a certain faculty member for a successful senior event the night before.
Although this faculty member was moderately involved in the event, I was the one who had the idea for the event, planned the basic details, arranged a meal, secured the facility, reached out to volunteers, and gained approval for everything in between. I was flabbergasted and wondering where my accolades were. I found myself stuck inside my head and inside my pride.
Some time passed and fervent prayers went up. It wasn’t long before I began to realize that while words of affirmation aren’t sinful, pride certainly is. The Bible
instructs us on pride and warns against it repetitively.
It really didn’t matter if I was given praise for this event. What mattered was if the students had a memorable event. This event was a senior event, and it was dear to my heart. However, I had found my priorities misaligned. How often, I wondered, does God, our savior not get the credit that is due to him simply because he is God, and he is sovereign?
He deserves our praise for all his grace, the sacrifice of his son, and countless blessings. He deserves our praise even when things aren’t going our way, or we face tragedy. Oftentimes, we credit the wrong authority when it comes to our blessings. The world thanks everyone before God, and often leaves him out altogether.
If the God of the universe is overlooked, how can I expect to be praised for everything I do? Who was I to find myself writhing in self-pity over a school announcement affirming someone other than myself? When we do things for the right reasons, to please God, or to make another person smile, we cannot do so in hopes of praise or acknowledgement.
We must be unsung heroes in all that we do and that is what truly pleases our Lord and Savior. Our motivations should never be self-glorifying or in hopes of praise or reputation. We must do all things to the glory of God and the best of our ability. And we must do so as though no one is watching.