Applause Worth Living for

Everybody likes applause. It’s encouraging, uplifting, satisfying, flattering… 

A professional performer will tell you that applause is far more than just an act of courtesy. It’s a reward, many times more worth than wages. It’s a necessity, something worth labouring and living for.

However, the crowd is unreliable, and their applause only momentary. People have a constant appetite for more, and they quickly forget about your past achievements.

They happily applaud you as long as you continue to meet their expectations and as long as they can celebrate you as their hero.

Yet, the day will come when you will disappoint them, and then you are out. Who would care less, then?

Even Jesus received applause from those around him.

However, he was never looking for it and he never trusted it. Nor did his life depend on it. He knew he couldn’t rely on the crowd.

Instead, he totally focused on pleasing his Father and on working out his mission. This is where he found his fulfilment.

It’s nice to receive applause from people. Yet, the Father’s applause is the only applause worth living for.