Here’s the problem with starting to believe your own brag sheet
By Dean Collins
The problem of pride starts developing in a sneaky way, probably early in life. And if we don’t pay attention, it leads to our tendency to think we are more than we are, the author of all our success in life. A good parent or grandparent celebrates the little and big accomplishments of their children and grandchildren. The baby gives their first smile or the toddler says something we believe is a word, and we call the little one a genius. When he learns the alphabet or she learns to count to ten, we act as if this child will surely one day win the Nobel Prize.
By ninth or tenth grade, the guidance counselors start encouraging this young person to develop a brag sheet. The rationale is all about getting into the chosen college with as much money—financial aid or scholarship— as possible. Once they are in college, students are encouraged to constantly update their resumés with their growing list of academic and nonacademic achievements.
And so this train ride continues as career coaches tell us to be ready with our elevator pitch of accomplishments because reminding supervisors and potential bosses of your accomplishments gets you promoted to a higher rung on the ladder of success.
All this is well and good, I suppose, but there is a great danger: Without noticing you might just start believing all your own publicity. Soon pride has filled your life and self-promotion has become your lifestyle.
A call for repentance
The prophet Jeremiah urged exactly the opposite of pride. His compassion and love for Jerusalem and all his tribe made him weep because of the coming destruction. Try as he might to warn of impending doom and bring his people to repentance, most would not listen or repent. There was still time to get out before judgment fell on Jerusalem, but the escape path required a knee bent in humble repentance.
The way forward would require that one finally admit they don’t know it all, can’t do it all, and didn’t earn it all through self-effort alone. It would mean admitting weakness, loving others, practicing justice, and living a life of righteousness. Then—and now—this is the approach that will gain God’s approval and cause him to smile.
We live in a moment where politicians think they did it themselves. Business leaders, advocacy groups, even pastors can fall into the trap of thinking it was their great strategy, their amazing descriptions of victimization, or their engaging preaching that brought the growth. Yes, God can and does use our talents, but he expects we understand their source and his involvement in our lives. Otherwise we end up like the kings and leaders of old Jerusalem before her fall.
The apostle Paul repeated this theme in 2 Corinthians. The circumstances were different, but the temptations were the same. You can proudly describe how great and smart you are and think you are self-made, or you can understand that God’s grace is sufficient. He will leverage your weaknesses, and then you can receive both peace and rest.
Discovering God’s strength
Service to God will include moments, even long seasons, of difficulty that may come with insults and include persecution or calamity. Paul says that in these humble offerings and admission of our weakness, God will once again show us his strength for the task ahead.
So go ahead and help your kids with their brag sheets. And get your elevator pitch ready. But be careful that you teach the kids and remember yourself that whatever your success, it wasn’t achieved by your own doing. Others, and most of all God, not only gifted you but propped you up every step of the way.
Your time with God’s Word
Jeremiah 9: 23-24; 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 ESV
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels
