5:89 – Accept the Applause

#faithbites #faithjourney applause

Intro

Today the news was made official that I was elected to the Board of Directors for the International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE). This is a huge honor and I’m excited to start my term in June. One of the things you may not know is that I, along with submissions from colleagues, write a twice-monthly newsletter about the curriculum and teaching and learning. Well, I had many people tell me to put my news in the newsletter. I was a bit leary as I didn’t want to toot my own horn. Several said that I did good work and should be recognized for it. So, I wrote a blurb in the newsletter and will accept the applause. But it is still hard. Very hard.

Questions

• Do you accept the applause and recognition when you earned it?
• How do you balance humility with accepting applause?

Scripture

• Proverbs 3:27 – Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.
• James 1:17 – Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
• 1 Peter 2:17 – Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

Reflection

It’s ok to accept the applause. We all work hard. To be recognized for your work isn’t a bad thing. There is a fine line between pride and hubris. It’s also very important, as we see in James, to recognize that we are able to do this because of God and his role in our lives. Without him, we can’t do it. If we seek that balance, then we are good.

As we close, accept the applause with God and don’t let it go to your head. Use it to refill your batteries so you can keep on going.

Prayer

Lord God, thank you for giving us the skills to succeed. We thank you for people who recognize the work we do and we give you the credit. Lord, we ask that you help us accept the applause and still be humble in everything we do. We pray this in your name, Amen.