Few things in the world are more powerful than a positive push. 
A smile. A world of optimism and hope. 
A ‘you can do it’ when things are tough. – Richard DeVos

It’s graduation season and to those who have excelled, awards are being given out. Hopefully, no one will win The Turnip Prize? The Turnip Prize was started as a farce in 1999 by art critic, Royston Weeksz. 

It’s given to art that most think isn’t art. If you look at some modern art and think a five-year-old could have done it, you understand The Turnip Prize. Itsatirizes bad art. The Turnip Prize started in response to Tracey Emin’s silly, My Bed, which was up for The Turner Prize. Her painting features an unkempt bed with stained sheets and trash heaped on the floor. 

Much of modern art is like that. Personally, I think the paintings of Jackson Pollock should receive The Turnip Prize. Unbelievably, his works have been sold for up to an astonishing $200 million. Throwing paint at a canvas doesn’t seem to be art except to a world confused about values. 

Awards are the outcome of a vital principle – You get what you praise, or perhaps in Jackson Pollock’s case, pay for. When bad art is rewarded, it will continue to be produced whether it’s a painting, a movie, book or music. When you award that which has no true value, you encourage the production of more of it. For example, very few Academy Award winning movies have been popular or profitable. The last one that was also blockbuster was The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King in 2003.  

Christ-followers are to have a different value system. If we praise the same things that a culture without a biblical worldview praises, we encourage the same things. Please understand, it’s not that all of them are bad, it’s that they’re not best. They typically have a short shelf life for this world with little or no lasting, eternal value. Here are a few examples.

We foolishly praise appearance. 

If we praise someone, particularly children with you’re so cute or you’re so pretty or handsome, we’re encouraging a limited values message. Attractiveness is subjective and cultural. Not to mention, it’s something you’re usually born with. 

Physical beauty is always temporal. Hollywood stars, particularly actresses, bemoan that once they’ve reached a certain age, they no longer have “market value.” Haven’t we all met individuals considered beautiful, yet are ugly on the inside? We’ve also met those considered unattractive who have beautiful hearts. Proverbs 31:30 wisely says, “beauty doesn’t last.” Our appearance doesn’t impress God. He values true beauty, inner beauty, the beauty of the heart. 

We foolishly praise ability. 

It’s estimated that 1 in 31 children are born with a form of autism. That often limits them academically, athletically or even socially. They often, because of their design, lack ability.

Yet, one can be a genius and be a horrid person. Apple visionary Steve Jobs was a genius but was cruel to nearly everyone he came in contact with. He perhaps treated his daughter, Lisa, the worst, denying paternity for a long time. Lisa ended up on welfare while Jobs enjoyed his millions. 

While Tonya Harding, Latrell Sprewell and Michael Vick were very gifted athletes, their behavior was criminal. Just because someone has athletic ability it doesn’t mean that they have character. Many of them have terrible reputations as brats or bullies.

So, who has more character? The B or C student who gives it all they’ve got or an A student who sails through with little effort? Who has more character? Someone born with talent and does what comes naturally, or an average athlete who does their best? 

We foolishly praise accumulation.

Studies unfortunately show that wealthy people are more likely to be mean with a sense of entitlement, similar to the character of Ebenezer Scrooge. Yet, those from poorer economic backgrounds are more likely to be kind, like Tiny Tim and his family. After analyzing data from 46,000 people across 67 countries, including information on wealth and levels of morality, research suggests that Disney movies, as well as characterizations in classic literature, stand up to scrutiny with a lack of wealth linked to character and higher moral standards. 

Please understand there’s nothing wrong with being wealthy. Some of the godliest individuals in Scripture and history have been wealthy (Job, Abraham, R.G. Letourneau, Truett Cathy), but wealth isn’t what God values. Then, we’re responsible with how we handle the resources He’s given us. More wealth means more responsibility (Mattew 25:14-30). 

One can be a gazillionaire in this world yet bankrupt in the next. Add to that, wealth is fleeting. No one maintains their earthly socio-economic class in eternity.

In our dying world, even Christ-followers, often focus on the wrong value system. Probably, the most common place where we make this blunder is with young people. We praise that which has no lasting value and overlook that which does. We encourage a lack of character because we fail to comprehend: You get what you praise. 

Each of us needs to ask: What do I want to encourage? If I want to encourage that which has true value and lasts eternally, what am I praising in others? What do I encourage in others, including my spouse, children, friends or fellow believers: What am I praising? Wise people encourage that which has lasting value with the longest shelf life, both in this world and eternity. Life in this world is short (James 4:14). 

As Christ-followers, we must encourage godly character.

Please understand there’s nothing wrong with being attractive, having abilities or even lots of accumulations. All of us are merely recipients of what the Master Creator has given us. Everything is a gift from God, who can also take it all back in a blink of an eye if He so chooses. Because we are recipients of ALL that we have, we should be humble. 

Godly character always begins with humility. Do you remember when WWJD (what would Jesus do) was popular? Godly character begins though with WWJB (what would Jesus be), from the inside out. It means that our hearts and minds are to be like the Savior in this world. 

Praising and encouraging someone to grow in the fruit of the Spirit is a great starting point. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23). 

As Christ-followers, we should encourage others with, “I’m so thankful that you are so joyful…or kind…or loving.” The fruits of the Spirit are character qualities we should honor, and you simply can’t encourage too much. They’re traits valued in this world and will be rewarded in the next.