Posturing /ˈpäsCHəriNG/ noun : behavior that is intended to impress or mislead

Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth; an outsider, and not your own lips. Proverbs 27:2

Demanding respect is like chasing a butterfly. Chase, it and you’ll never catch it. Sit still, and it may light on your shoulder. Max Lucado

I’m not sure why, maybe it’s the brutal cold and I’m dreaming of warmer times, but this week I’ve been thinking about my time last spring, hiking on the Appalachian Trail.  More specifically, I remember a certain phenomenon that occurred almost every night when hikers would pull into a shelter after a long day of hiking.

Just a bit of backstory… On the AT they have shelters placed every 8-12 miles.  These shelters have “all the comforts of home.”  Well, not really.  But they do have a fresh water source, three-sided shelter, picnic table, fire pit, outhouse and usually a bear pole for everyone to hang their food sack. No one wants to get an unexpected visitor in the night.  Because these shelters are strategically placed near water, most everyone who is hiking ends up at a shelter at the end of the day.  Often someone starts a fire and usually anywhere from 6-15 people straggle in, at different intervals, footsore and hungry.  After everyone has set up their tent and made themselves a hot meal, those who still have energy often gather around the fire and tell stories.  Usually, these conversations were dominated by the “through” hikers who were attempting the entire 2190 miles in one summer. I was usually quiet, not just because it’s my nature and that I’m an inexperienced hiker, but because I was so exhausted.  But every night the “trail talk” would certainly ramp up around me!

Out on the trail, conversation shifts.  No one talks about their high-pressure job or type of car.  You don’t mention how successful your kids are, where or whether you went to college or where you took vacation last year. On the trail, everyone’s trying to decompress from normal life, and so, the “scorecard” by which people measure themselves is replaced with “trail talk.” And, boy, do they talk!

Someone would say, “Up in New Hampshire a couple of years back, I was on the trail for three weeks, it rained every day, I averaged 14 miles a day and got chased by 2 bears.”

Another would respond, “Well, last summer in the Rockies Mountains, I hiked the entire Continental Divide Trail, got snowed in for a week at Loveland pass and ended up with frostbite from drinking melted snow…”

And still a third, “I remember hiking the entire 745-mile Heysen Trail in Australia, while surviving on wild berries and kangaroo meat.  It was 110 degrees, I had blisters the size of dinner plates and still averaged 22 miles a day.”

It’s called “posturing” and we all do it. We want to look good and to belong, so we “one up” each other and tell flattering stories that make us the hero. Or we drop tidbits into conversations that signal to others that we are important, valued and competent.  It’s easy to recognize in others, but sometimes difficult to identify in ourselves. Like horses jockeying for position, we work hard at looking better than everyone else by trying to project an image worthy of respect. It’s hard to maintain, really exhausting and leaves us feeling hollow inside.  How can anyone get to know the true you, when we are so preoccupied with how we measure up?

As Christ-followers, there’s a whole additional dimension to this.  For Christians, the focus of life should never be on us anyway, but on our Savior.  He’s the one worth praising and anything we accomplish is not in our own strength, anyway but by the grace of God.

The Bible says, Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:31.

So, in your life, where’s the spotlight shining?  On you, and your accomplishments, skills and charisma? Or on the Lord who gave you air to breathe and a life to live?

*****

Here’s a great comedy bit on posturing, if you have a spare few minutes: