Apples of Gold

A long time ago in a land far away, before the day of index tabs denoting the books of the Bible, and participation trophies; there was a practice among children’s church leaders of conducting Bible Sword drills. If you are my age or older, I am confident that a smile likely crept across your face as you remembered the tension of these competitions. The teacher would shout out an obscure text like Haggai 2:8 and the flutter of pages filled the room as we raced with everything we could muster to be the first to find the desired text. The victor would jump to their feet and read the verse at the top of their lungs, grinning smugly at those who were still trying to decide if it was in the Old or New Testament or figure out how to spell Haggai! Usually 2 or 3 kids completely dominated this and the others really had little hope of ever earning the praise of the teacher by finding the verse first. 

I can tell you from experience that at some point it became less about  knowing the location of the Scripture and more about finding it before anyone else! (I’m thinking  my competitive streak came from my mom.) Next came getting the most badges, or the biggest part in the upcoming production. Although I loved Jesus with all my heart, these things had little to do with a desire to grow spiritually. 

My little head held a distorted view of just what was required to please God. I probably could have used an attitude adjustment as much as this guy:

Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer. ‘I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I don’t cheat. I don’t sin, and I don’t commit adultery. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’ Luke18:9-12

Well, hopefully at my young age I hadn’t strayed quite that far! But it  didn’t take long for me to realize that applause and approval followed excelled performance. 

There is a tendency to give praise to the fastest finisher or the highest scorer.  When we receive the accolades we must take care that they do not go to our heads. Complements can be addicting-we can only go so long until we need another to feel satisfied. 

Although we should be motivated to do our best; things can get a bit sketchy when our goal is to always “Be” the best. We can find ourselves with our hands on our hips, looking out over our conquests as our cape flaps in the wind. 

Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. Matthew 6:1

It requires spiritual discipline to remain unaffected when we receive admiration from those around us. We can even find ourselves being motivated to work harder, sing louder, speak longer in order to gain the applause of men and fool ourselves into equating that with the approval of God. 

Involvement in our churches and in ministries around us is a valuable component of our spiritual development. Finding ourselves crushed by the weight of a self-imposed need to be involved in every activity around us is not. 

My husband occasionally quotes a little rhyme that was adapted from a nursery rhyme. 

Mary had a little lamb

That could have been a sheep

It was raised a Pentecostal

And died from lack of sleep

It is perhaps a bit too true to be all that funny. We can find ourselves feeling guilty when we stop to rest after a hectic week. We might suffer from the Fear of Missing Out, or worry what others might think if we opt for an afternoon nap instead of some other activity. 

Studies have shown that a consistent afternoon nap of around 30 minutes can actually lower the risk of heart disease, lower stress, increase happiness and boost focus.  

At times it can be hard to rest because we are too busy trying to do it all and do it better.  We wonder if someone is surpassing us while we snooze on the sidelines. 

Notice that the Pharisee had quite a long list of accomplishments, of which he was quite proud. He considered himself superior to others and super-spiritual. God was not impressed with his list. God was not impressed with his attitude. He was trying to advance his position through his glowing qualifications. Unfortunately his effort was wasted. 

At times we might find ourselves guilty of reciting our list of triumphs to our Lord as we submit our latest requests to him, erroneously assuming our works have earned us “Most likely to have your Prayers Answered” status. 

“But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Luke 18:13-14

Perhaps it would be beneficial to take an honest look in the mirror, lose the cape and take a nap.