#239 - Look What I Can Do!

Proverbs 25:27 - It is not good to eat much honey: so for men to search their own glory is not glory. (KJV)

Proverbs 25:13 - Like the cold of snow [brought from the mountains] in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to those who send him; for he refreshes the life of his masters. 

Proverbs 31:28 - Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. (AMP)   

Tyler Junior went last week to a "Mother's Morning Out" program for a few hours. When we returned home, he had a craft that we hung on the fridge. I'm still not quite sure what it is. It's a paper plate with the center cut out and streamers hanging off the bottom. It did have some "sequence" glued to it (those are long gone!) For the last week, and still, he walks by the fridge and says, "Yook Mommy! Yook!" He smiles real big with great pleasure as he shows me the craft that HE made! It is so cute to see him proud of himself. 


Thinking about this reminded me of the verse in 1 Corinthians 13:11,  When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. Tyler Junior is a child. At this age, it's cute to see him "show-off" something he's done or made. He's looking for that affirmation & praise. At some point, according to 1 Corinthians 13:11, we must put away childish things. The desire to be praised surely may still be there. Everyone likes to be affirmed and praised, but as it says in Proverbs 25:27, to search for our own glory is not glory. 


I checked what the original Hebrew said about Proverbs 25:27. It referred to glory as: glory, honour, abundance, reputation, dignity, riches. To search, boast or build up our own "reputation" by showing off what we have done, in the end does not end up being "glory" at all. I reflected on Proverbs 25:13, how the messenger was refreshing to his masters. Like he was a breath or fresh air. I watch Tyler with his job and with his boss. I notice how he takes recommendations and immediately begins to apply them, how he engages himself, how he really seeks to be excellent. I can only imagine, that to his boss, this is refreshing behavior.  


Let us allow our deeds to be refreshing. Allow our accomplishments to speak for us. Like the Proverbs 31 woman, her children rise up and call her blessed. Her husband praises her. 


Who's praise? Is it praise prompted by you? If you remember back in the day, on MadTV a man named Stuart. He was an adult that had the mind of a child. He jumped around saying, "Look what I can do! Look what I can do!" Who's prompting your praise? Are you saying, "Look what I can do?" Are you searching out your own praise or is the praise you receive prompted by your refreshing accomplishments? Your consistency? Keeping the house clean? Keeping the laundry up? Creating an environment of peace? Being consistent making your sales calls? Being consistent in the Word? Being excellent on your job? Are your actions prompting praise from others or is your verbal acknowledgement saying, "Look what I can do!"?