His mommy told him to paint only on his “art wall” and not on any part of the house. But in his excitement, he found another blank wall and started painting on it. He did not follow mommy’s instructions.
As loving parents, we explained to him what he did was wrong (even though it was a really nice-looking painting for a two-year old). Instead of reasoning with us, our kid apologized and told his mommy that he will not do it again. He was not proud of his painting.
I must admit that in that moment we could have praised our kid for making a lovely work of art and I’m sure every parent will be proud of it. But he showed us that no matter how praiseworthy an accomplishment is, if it is not done appropriately, it is still something that we cannot and should not be proud of. So, the lesson for us grown-ups? Our CHARACTER is more important than our REPUTATION.
It also reminded us the reason David was qualified to be king of Israel: because God did not look at his physical attributes but rather God looked at his “heart.”
So, whatever it is that we aspire to accomplish today, whether big or small, I hope that it is of value and in accordance to God’s commands. Remember that our character is more important than our reputation.
1 Samuel 16:7b “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Comments