For 30 years I’ve had the joy of working with kids in various school, church, and neighborhood settings to put on skits or plays. Kids love to be in plays, but they often grow weary practicing a scene over and over until it’s done right. However, there is one part of the preparations that they can’t wait to do again and again: the closing bow. They will practice that bow, that look-at-me moment, a hundred times without a complaint! And who wouldn’t relish a little time like that in the limelight?
The truth of it is that you and I are like young actors loving the bow at the end of the show. Our proud hearts long for even just a brief moment when applause goes up for us. We’d like our name to be known.
Jesus turns our self-aggrandizing pursuits upside down. He taught us to pray, asking first that God’s name be honored before bringing our own needs or wants to Him. Let His name and His renown be the desire of your heart. Our true significance comes not from making a name for ourselves but in living to magnify the name of Jesus.