Vain Glory

For Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Proverbs 25:27

It is not good to eat much honey,
nor is it glorious to seek one's own glory.

Like Winnie the Pooh who ends up too fat and a sticky mess from eating much honey, so is the person who seeks his own glory - his ego becomes bloated and his life becomes a mess. Unlike Pooh who has friends to help him, the vain-glorious person loses his friends.

People obtain glory not because of seeking glory itself but out of striving for a noble cause or a far-reaching goal. Those who do strive for glory itself and have the misfortune of obtaining it will experience the devastation of finding such glory a small and bitter possession. It is the deed itself that is fulfilling; it is the competition itself that exhilarates. And should one obtain recognition for one's accomplishments, it will still be remembering the deed itself that will be the reward. The Superbowl quarterback looks back not on the act of receiving the trophy but of throwing the touchdown pass.

Take delight in what you are doing, not in the recognition you hope to receive. By doing so, you will find pleasure each day, and you are likely to get the added benefit of being recognized. The glory is more likely to come to those whose attention is on the present - on what they are doing now. So it is for us in serving our Lord. Focus on the service you are given the privilege to do. Delight in what he permits you to do for his glory. What will come, and often when you least expect it, is the glory - to glory of being recognized for your service. And ultimately you will receive the everlasting glory when your Lord returns. Let that knowledge take you through the times of feeling under appreciated. Your time will come when the Lord himself will acknowledge you. If you want the hours and days and weeks to pass more quickly until that time, then focus on the joy of serving now. Lose yourself in the present deed and the time for glory will quickly and suddenly come.