Be Still And Know

Proverbs 27:21 'Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but a person is tested by being praised.' I wonder how you respond when someone praises you. Perhaps you are being praised for your excellent work, sporting skills, kindness or reliability. The writer of Proverbs makes the interesting observation that such praise is as critical a test of character as fire testing precious metals. That is to say, praise will expose the kind of person that you really are. There are basically three things that you can do with praise. The first option is to open wide and drink it all in. This is a dangerous path because it is likely to go to your head. It could inflate your understanding of yourself to the point that you become arrogant and unbearable to live with. The second option is to do everything you can to deny the plaudits and suggest that they have got it all wrong. This might sound like a humble approach but it could easily come across as arrogant and rude. The best way to handle praise is to acknowledge i