April 25, 2023
EMBARRASSING
I recently drove to our son’s house to pick up our grandchildren for a weekend visit with us. As we started back to Fitzgerald my granddaughter, Amelia, said some strange words to me. She said, “Pepaw I want you to not embarrass me this weekend.” I was in total shock. I asked her what I had ever done to embarrass her. She could not think of an example. So, I asked her if she knew what the word “embarrass” meant. She said no that she had just heard it.
Jokingly I told her that this weekend I would teach what it meant to be embarrassed. She asked how I would do that. I told her that for example that night when we went out to eat, I was going to wear my “birthday suit”. Being only 8 years old she asked what was a birthday suit? When I told her what it meant she said, “Yuck Pepaw – please don’t do that” I told her that I wouldn’t because that would be embarrassing.
This made me think about what we do that God, our Father, would say to us, “Please don’t do that – it is embarrassing to me and the Kingdom of God” We are called “God’s children” when we get saved. So do we say or do things that make our Father embarrassed? Are our words and actions things that He beams with pride over or does He look at us in shame? He NEVER stops loving us but our sin breaks fellowship with Him.
Another aspect of embarrassment is do we not publicly praise God for fear that we will embarrass ourselves or others? Sunday morning was a great praise and worship service. During the singing I was saying, “Amen, Praise the Lord, Hallelujah” and raising my hands. Amelia looked at me as if to say, “Pepaw is that what you meant by being embarrassing?” We should NEVER be in fear of embarrassing ourselves if we are genuinely worshipping Jesus from the heart.
I have seen some people putting on a show in what they call “praise & worship.” Their praise and worship brought all the attention to them and not to Jesus. They wanted to make sure that everyone saw them so that they would look more spiritual instead of all the attention being on Jesus. That is really the test – Does your worship glorify God or does it bring attention to you?
Jesus said that if we didn’t praise Him then the rocks would cry out in praise to Him. When I praise Jesus it is not so that anyone will look at me. I am giving praise to my Lord and Savior – the only one who ever died for me. So I am not embarrassed to praise Him out loud (even shout) and to raise my hands, clap, and wave my hankie. BUT I also do not want to do it in such a fake way as to draw attention to me and thus embarrass Him.
I know that King David danced before the Lord in His birthday suit but I will not try that as it would be EMBARRASSING.
In love with Jesus – Gary Mimbs