Praised by God

Has someone ever noticed something great that you did and given you a compliment or praise?

Have you tried to get someone’s attention for something you have done? Earlier in life, my favorite place to seek approval and attention was on the ski slopes.

“Look Mom!” That was the name of the ski trail at Mount Wachusett in Princeton, Massachusetts, where I learned to ski. This blue, intermediate trail ran directly under the chairlift. The best part was going off ski jumps and hearing the people above scream and shout their praise. Those were the good ol’ days. Actually, those days were prior to smart phones with built-in video cameras and social media to post whatever you did. Even back then, without social media, I still wanted to be noticed.

Today, I wonder if we know who notices us the most. If we look at the life of Jesus and who approved and accepted Him, we can find a loud and clear voice that matters most. For Jesus, the moment was very clear after He rose out of the waters of the Jordan River. “As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on Him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.’” (Matthew 3:16-17)  I sat down in my dad’s library at our office where we have a small room with his old commentary books and opened John Wesley’s Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible. In his commentary on Matthew 3:17 Wesley writes: “To be the pleasure, the delight of God, this is praise indeed! How poor to this are all other kinds of praise!”

The Apostle Paul wrote in Galatians: “Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Acceptance, recognition, and finding the attention of others is a hard metric to run away from–especially flattery and pleasing people. Just as much as landing a solid jump on the ski slope, many times I would fall and wipe out. Above in the chairlift, instead of cheers from people passing by, there would be laughter. In reflecting on seeking approval of others, I’m reminded it’s by His amazing grace that we are accepted and loved.

Recognizing my need for a Savior, I made a personal decision to follow Jesus at the age of nine during summer camp. Then, I had the honor of my father baptizing me in Lake Washacum. This was a sentimental location due to being the same lake where I learned to swim and it was at my grandparent’s house. I was beyond excited to publicly profess my decision to follow Jesus. It was not a “look at me” moment, but a look at what God can do. Dear Lord, help me soften the volume of praise of others, and may I not be attracted to flattery. Instead, may my daily walk of faith welcome the love of Jesus. That’s more than enough. ~Tim DeTellis