Proverbs 27:21 says, “²¹ The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but man is tested by the praise he receives.”

People are tested by the praise that they receive. There was an instance recently when I received a compliment and it got me thinking. I wanted to briefly discuss the affect it had on me. There was a part of me that wanted to get all prideful and act like I was the man. Then there was another part of me that felt like I needed to be super “humble” and totally shrug it off. The passage above is making the statement that as people our hearts are tested by the praises that we receive. How do you respond when someone says….

• You’re awesome!
• Great job on that project!
• You’re so talented/creative/fill in the blank
• You worked so hard and it really shows
• What you said really changed my life

I’m not saying that it’s wrong to enjoy praise but I do believe that it says a lot about our hearts in how we handle praise internally.  From my vantage point I think there are really only a few ways to handle praise and I believe only one of them is right.

1. I really didn’t do anything

Do you know someone who responds this way to praise? You tell them that they did a good job and they totally shrug it off. They make it seem like they had nothing to do with the success that you are attributing to them and that is simply not the case. In their effort to not appear prideful they go to another unhealthy extreme. The reality is that they did achieve something noteworthy but they don’t know how to believe that without being arrogant about it.

2. I’m awesome!

Sometimes when you praise someone they respond by affirming the message that they seemingly tell themselves all the time….I’m AWESOME! They may actually be offended that you’re praise of them does not quite match up to the high level of success that they see themselves as being. If you tell them that they did a good job, they may say “thank you” but they’re acually thinking that you should’ve said they did a GREAT JOB! This is also an unhealthy way to handle praise and it says a lot about our hearts if this is where we go internally when someone says something nice about us.

3. Thank you (all the praise goes to God)

I believe this is the way to handle praise. When someone praises you I DON’T believe you need to say “Glory to God.” I think a simple “thank you” will suffice. I think that the people who try so hard to say that they did nothing and God did everything are really just spiritualizing the first wrong response to praise that I already mentioned. The way to handle praise is to acknowledge that you did a good job and appreciate the person who recognized that. Internally however, I think that the humble person will know that all the praise ultimately belongs to God. He’s the one who created us. He’s the one who has given us our gifts and talents. Without him none of it would be possible anyway. The humble person will use the praise of others as an opportunity to thank the person who praised them and give glory to God in an appropriate way. I’m also not saying that we should always be internal and not external when we praise God but this is a matter of discernment based on the situation.

Just some thoughts on the matter and I would love to hear yours.