THE WRONG KIND OF SELFIE
Proverbs 12:9 nkj
9 Better is the one who is slighted but has a servant,
Than he who honors himself but lacks bread.
The book of Proverbs never ceases to amaze me. The wisdom in this book is not ancient; it’s timeless. Our verse for today is a classic example.
This particular chapter is full of random bits of wisdom that are highly relevant today. And then there is the spiritual wisdom that really makes one stop and think. Verses, such as fourteen, that say a man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth. That verse requires some thought.
Our verse for today underscores the importance of reality versus self-promotion. We live in the day of the selfie. Self-promotion is seen as a ticket to becoming an influencer. The challenge with self-promotion is that it doesn’t always tell the real story. The real story in this proverb is a man who is lightly esteemed, not highly regarded, and has very few followers on social media. But he is doing well enough to have someone working for him. In the day this proverb was written, some servants were purchased and considered assets. This proverb is not an attempt to justify slavery but an observation of reality. The slighted, lowly regarded man may not be much in others’ eyes, but he is doing quite well. Not only does he have food for himself, but he has someone working for him. Disregarded, but doing just fine.
Contrast that man with the guy who is blowing up social media and has thousands of views. He is loudly promoting himself as someone big and important. And from all appearances, he is big and important. But appearances can be deceptive, and self-promotion does not always mean that the one being promoted is valid in honoring himself. In this case, the man promoting and honoring himself doesn’t even have enough bread to eat. As we say in Texas, all hat and no cattle.
APPLICATION
If this proverb teaches us anything, it is that we don’t believe everything we see. The one shouting the loudest about how awesome they are may not be telling the whole story. What glitters isn’t always gold. Can’t judge a book by its cover. You know the sayings, but they have stuck around because they contain truth.
Jesus said the best way to judge a tree is by its fruit. Good trees produce good fruit. And this is the best way to discern people. We shouldn’t judge their hearts, but we can see their fruit. We can all talk a big game, but the fruit, what our lives produce, is the real story.
And one more thing. This proverb is another reason to not compare ourselves with others. We do not know the whole story. The one we may think is doing so much better than us may be lacking bread.