All About Me
What have you bragged about today?
For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you received it, why do you boast as if it were not a gift? - 1 Corinthians 4:7
Today's reading makes me wonder how much of my daily communication with others is all about me.
I am sure most of it is. I think I am my favorite subject in a way.
Even though I don't post selfies on social media and I have trouble understanding what that is all about, I do post stories of my experiences. I tell myself they are ways of sharing so others may benefit, but I really do want to draw attention to myself or my products and services when I do it, so I guess it is a form of boasting.
Is that bad?
Progress reports are the staple of business, aren't they? What have you accomplished? What problems did you encounter? How did you solve them?
We need people to talk about themselves so we can get the job done. There is a difference, though, between boasting and reporting. If you ask, I will tell you. How I tell you and how much I embellish to make me look good is what Paul is addressing.
If I look at everything that comes my way as a gift from God, and I tell that to others, what will they think of me?
They probably won't want to hire me, thinking I am not in control of my outcomes. Who would want to go to a doctor who advertises that your cure is in God's hands and not his?
So, we are conditioned to boast. It is the way we lift ourselves up in the eyes of others. And they expect that in us. Take credit for what you accomplish, they say. Don't be humble. There is no gain in that.
So, here is a test for all of us this Lent. Try to go through each day without boasting in any form. It sounds easy, but I bet we find it more difficult than we think.
Our conversations may become boring. Our social media posts may lose their impact.
But most of all, our actions may go unnoticed and we will fail to get credit for them among our peers.
After all, that's the heart of the matter isn't it?
It may not be why we do what we do, but it matters all the same. Once we do good, we want to share it and enjoy the benefits of our good deeds.
If no one knows, will we still feel the same?
Hmm. Maybe that is one of the gifts Paul is talking about. Knowing God knows is the true gift, and by telling others, we may miss experiencing His joy.
Something to think about.
More to come...