The Problem With Praise

Just yesterday a woman at our church came to talk a spell with me. She told me how much she enjoyed praise last week (when I had the "privelage" of leading). She told me I should consider cutting an album. [Hmmm... She's the second person to have said that to me.] I politely chuckled, gave my thanks for the compliment and continued with my lunch.

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It's hard to deflect the attenion from yourself and to aim it at the One to whom it belongs. We as humans crave attention. We were born with it. Since childhood we've saught the praise of our parents, friends, teachers, colleagues, etc. The world tells us we're only as good as what other people think of us. We glow with pride as our bosses tell us how pleased they are with what we've done. We hold our heads a bit higher as our teachers tell us how much they enjoyed our essay. There's a lightness to our step when someone tells us how particularly beautiful or thin we look today. And I smile impishly as a woman tells me I should record...

I've read a few articles and books by some noteworthy worship leaders and they all agree that to be in the "spotlight" is a dangerous place. They say it's a daily struggle with your ego and your pride. And at times, you are burdened because of your God-given gift. Seems contradicatory - to struggle in faith because of the gift He's given you, but it is real, I can testify to that. [BTW, I'm not comparing myself to the Chris Tomlins and Darlene Zshechs out there (they're way out of my league!). Just relating my struggles to theirs] And I wonder if I'm the only one on our team who feels this way. Is my faith that much weaker than those on our team?

And how do you accept compliments? To be honest, I've never been good at accepting a compliment. I've always felt a little... uneasy. Maybe it's because I really didn't get a lot of it as a child. Having typical uber-conservative Korean parents, none could blame me I suppose. But I also think part of it has to do with my perfectionism intermixed with my low self-esteem, criticalness and pride. I don't really believe the compliments I receive a lot of the time. I think I (or someone else) could do a MUCH better job. Or I think that the other person is just being polite.

So, I pose these questions to you, my friends:

* How do you accept compliments for God-given things/talents?
* How do you elevate HIM and make yourself smaller (without becoming some quivering, depressed person with no self-esteem)? How do you do so (deflect from yourself) without seeming rude or ungrateful to the person who gives the compliment?
* How do you feel good (but not too good) about the person/woman you are?