Let's Boast.

I’m not the most humble person in the world. Being raised in a competitive family, I learned at a very young age to make my talents and presence known. This confidence hasn’t necessarily been a bad thing; it has pushed me to work hard, but it has also made some parts of my faith life very difficult for my heart. As I came to know Jesus more, I began to learn about pride, and how I was very good at boasting about myself.Now, I wasn’t going around shouting about how I’m the greatest person, but it was a way I looked at the world. Every friend’s achievement or cool trip instantly became a threat to my identity as successful and adventurous. Every comment that suggested I have areas of myself to improve was perceived as a weapon that I must defeat with my words and prove wrong with my actions. Every time I saw someone who I respected mess up, I had a little celebration because I felt that I had just moved a bit ahead of them in my spiritual walk. This proud attitude was toxic to my friendships, self-worth, and relationship with my Father.Now, the Bible has a lot to say about pride. Humility is held as a virtue by Jesus and by so many other teachers, because, after all, we humans don’t have much else to offer. This idea of humility really began to grab hold of my heart, and not always for the better.The act of humility, to me, was not just about putting aside myself for the sake of others; I began to swing in the extreme opposite direction, toward shame and fear. Every time I received praise, I felt like I needed forgiveness for attracting too much attention. Every kind word needed to be deflected with a greater compliment back so I wouldn't look prideful. I was so hyper-vigilant about seeming proud, I retreated from most conversations that involved anything about myself. While humility should always be our heart posture, there is one part of the message I was leaving out.Believe it or not, we are told to boast—just not about ourselves. We are told several times in Scripture to boast in Christ. Now what does that really mean? I think that those teachings are telling us to build up the body of Christ as much as we naturally tend to build ourselves up.When we are complimented on our talents, it is a perfect opportunity to give credit to the one who gives us all our gifts and abilities. When we are given a difficult trial, we can boast in the one who gives us strength and the opportunity to grow through it!The boasting the Bible talks about doesn’t really mean that we can be proud about what we’ve done; it means we have the chance to tell people why we have talents, or joy, or even breath in our lungs. The humility that Jesus models doesn’t mean we must reject every compliment and be passive in our situations. It means that we can realize our finiteness and humanness and rejoice that our God still loves us and uses us anyway. Humility should never lead us to step away from a chance to speak of our Creator, nor should pride ever be in ourselves. It’s all about Jesus. It always has been and always will be. We are just some wonderfully small cogs in a machine much larger than we can imagine.Let’s boast in that.words by Breanna Maier and photo by Leah Van Otterloo