What Am I Like?

Proverbs 20:6
Most men will proclaim each his own goodness,
but who can find a faithful man?

It's true, you know. If we were asked to write or speak a description about ourselves, most of us would err on the side of making ourselves look good. We would talk about our talents, not our inabilities. We would tout our successes instead of our failures. We would showcase our good qualities and none of our bad. And why? Because we want people to like us, to feel good about us, to respect and love us. We want people to think highly of us, so we place ourselves in the best light.

Imagine what would happen if we actually told our friends all of our faults at our first introduction. Would they still be our friends? During that first get-acquainted meal, what if we gave them a run-down of all of our failures--the mistakes we've made, the jobs we've lost, the relationships we've ruined all on our own. Would there be a second get-together? What if we confessed that we sometimes woke with a rotten attitude, got our kicks out of gossip and complaining, and uttered swear words everytime things don't go our way?

The Proverbs actually applauds the man who is honest in his assessment of self. But the Proverbs is also replete with correction of all those faults, flaws and failings. We should be working to better ourselves and put away all our bad habits and sinful lifestyles, because there really is no excuse for being sorry examples of humanity.

On the other hand, I'd also like to point out that I don't beleive it is a virtue to extol your vices. You don't have to tell everybody all the gory details of your inner man; most of that needs to be kept between you and God. But neither should we promote ourselves as the best thing since sliced bread. I think we need to be real with each other, and let our actions speak for themselves. Then let others talk about our goodness (or lack thereof).