Patting Yourself On The Back Can Be Hazardous

Patting Yourself on the Back Can Be Hazardous

Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth—a stranger, not your own lips. Proverbs 27:2

My high school football coach, Dave Driscoll, drove home today’s verse in another way: “Talent is God-given—be thankful. Praise is man-given—be humble. Conceit is self-given—be careful.”

In his book Through My Eyes, Tim Tebow recounts that his parents made a rule when he was very young: he and his brothers couldn’t tell about their own feats—usually sports related—unless they were asked about them. Apparently, there was quite a bit of bragging going on among Tim and his two brothers and subsequently to others, and their parents wanted it to stop. So at about age five, Tim, and his brothers, Robby (age eleven) and Peter (age eight) were forbidden to go on—unchecked—about what they had done well.

Friends at church learned about the Tebow rule, so whenever they wanted to know the latest news, they would walk up to Tim on Sunday and ask, “Timmy, have you had any games this week?” Once that question was asked, the boys were permitted to freely recap the weekend’s highlights.

The lesson is a good one for all of us. When we’ve done something well or been recognized for our achievements, we can’t help it—we want others to know about our accomplishments, including what others may have said. For whatever reason, nobody close to us seems to be impressed, or if they are, they’re keeping it to themselves. Yes, we can be quick to praise or boast about ourselves and justify it in many ways, but in the process we lose focus on others and our call to service.

When I saw Tim during college press conferences—after years of practicing the lesson of Proverbs 27:2—he was slow to speak about himself. Years of good training paid off—he wouldn’t even recap his exploits when asked.

As hard as it is at times to bite your tongue in those situations, let others do the talking and be the ones to praise you. When your focus in life turns inward—focusing on yourself—you begin to lose God’s purpose for your life: to love Him and others.

Uncommon Key > Rather than patting yourself on the back in front of others, think of something to praise another person for. Who knows? They may return the gesture.