Pastor Tricia's Ramblings

Based on James 1:9–11

We live in a culture that thrives on being seen. Social media has given everyone a stage and a microphone, whether we realize we’re performing or not. Scroll through Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, or even LinkedIn, and you’ll find a world eager to boast—whether in wins or woes. Some carefully curate their highlight reels, displaying filtered moments of achievement, beauty, family joy, or success. Others choose to share their struggles, heartbreaks, and battles, sometimes in real time.

The two types may seem opposite, but often, the motivation is the same: attention, approval, validation.

Why do we do this? Why do we seek the sympathy or applause of people we often don’t even know personally? What’s the deeper longing that fuels this constant external focus?

James 1:9–11 addresses this very dynamic—not through the lens of social media, but through the lens of humility, identity, and true value in God’s eyes.

“Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.”

(James 1:9–11, ESV)

These verses challenge our perspective about what really matters. James is not concerned with external displays of wealth, status, suffering, or success. He is laser-focused on how our relationship with God reshapes our self-understanding—whether we’re in humble circumstances or prosperous ones.

And that message has never been more relevant than it is today.

Boasting in the Right Things

At first glance, James seems to be making a strange suggestion: let the lowly boast in their exaltation, and the rich boast in their humiliation. What does that mean?

James is flipping the cultural script. The “lowly” or poor are to rejoice not in their financial condition but in the fact that God has exalted them—they are valued, loved, seen, and honored in the eyes of their Heavenly Father. They are not forgotten or insignificant.

Likewise, the rich are to rejoice not in their wealth, but in their humiliation—in realizing that earthly riches are temporary, and that they too are dependent on the mercy and grace of God.

This is humility in action. It’s about seeing ourselves not through the lens of culture, money, fame, or Instagram likes—but through the eyes of the One who created us.

“Thus says the Lord: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom,

let not the mighty man boast in his might,

let not the rich man boast in his riches,

but let him who boasts boast in this,

that he understands and knows me,

that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love,

justice, and righteousness in the earth.’”

(Jeremiah 9:23–24)

What we boast in reveals what we treasure most.

The Heart Behind the Post

If James were writing today, maybe he’d say it this way:

“Let the one with no followers rejoice because God sees them. And let the one with a blue checkmark rejoice because their fame is fleeting and they too must depend on grace.”

Here’s the truth—when we post our highlights, our subconscious hope is often to gain affirmation. When we post our heartaches, we may be seeking sympathy or validation. Neither of these is always wrong in and of themselves—but when our identity depends on external responses, we’ve entered dangerous ground.

Even if our goal isn’t pride, what we’re often doing is rooted in it. It’s the pride that whispers, “I need people to see me. I need people to affirm me. I need people to validate me.” But true humility flips the narrative.

C.S. Lewis captured it perfectly when he said:

“Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less.”

To “think of ourselves less” is to turn our eyes to God, to make Him the center of attention, not ourselves. When we live to be seen by people, we are constantly chasing a moving target. But when we live to be seen by God, we find rest.

“For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends.”

(2 Corinthians 10:18)

The Fleeting Nature of Earthly Pursuits

James uses the imagery of flowers and grass withering in the sun to make his point:

“…like a flower of the grass he will pass away… the rich man will fade away in the midst of his pursuits.” (James 1:10–11)

How hauntingly familiar does that feel? You can have a viral video one day and be irrelevant the next. You can be praised by crowds today and forgotten tomorrow. Wealth, fame, beauty, followers—none of it lasts.

Jesus said something similar in the Sermon on the Mount:

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,

but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven…

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

(Matthew 6:19–21)

Boasting in temporary things is like building sandcastles at low tide. Eventually, the waves come.

What God Sees in You

So if we’re not to seek our value from people’s opinions, where do we get it?

From God.

Not from our status or appearance or online reach, but from the unchanging truth that we are sons and daughters of the Most High God.

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.”

(1 John 3:1)

We are already approved. Already accepted. Already deeply loved. Nothing we can post—or hide—can change that.

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

(Romans 5:8)

This is the root of true humility—not self-hate, not false modesty, but the calm confidence of knowing who you are because of who God is.

Private Devotion Over Public Attention

The modern world tells us that visibility equals value. But Jesus taught something very different.

“But when you pray, go into your room, shut the door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

(Matthew 6:6)

There is power in the private moments with God. There is identity-shaping strength in getting alone with Yahweh and letting Him speak over you. When we stop trying to be seen by everyone, we begin to be truly seen by the One who matters most.

This is where humility lives—not in putting ourselves down, but in putting God up. It’s turning from the need for “likes” to the quiet voice of the Father saying, “You are mine.”

Whose “Well Done” Matters Most?

Jesus asked,

“How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?”

(John 5:44)

It’s a haunting question.

Are we more concerned with applause from people or approval from God? Do we crave temporary compliments or eternal commendation?

Because one day, all of us will stand before God. And in that moment, no number of followers or likes will matter. The only “Well done” that will mean anything is the one from the mouth of the Savior:

“Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.”

(Matthew 25:21)

Let that be the applause we live for.

Living With Eternal Perspective

James 1:9–11 teaches us to see life with eternal lenses. Earthly riches, praise, approval, social standing—these all fade. But the one who humbles themselves before God will be lifted up.

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.”

(James 4:10)

Instead of constantly showcasing our lives, what if we showcased our dependence on God? What if our highlight reel was filled not with success stories, but with testimonies of His grace?

That would be a life worth watching.

Reflection Questions

What do you tend to boast about—either openly or subtly? How does your social media activity reflect your need for approval? Are you living for the praise of man or the approval of God? How can you practice private devotion this week instead of public display? What would change in your life if you fully believed God already approves of you in Christ?

Final Thought

In a world addicted to attention, humility is rebellion. It’s a bold refusal to make yourself the center of the story. It is trusting that the God who sees in secret will honor you in ways this world never could.

Whether you’re “rich” or “lowly” in the eyes of the world, let your boast be in the Lord. His approval lasts forever.

And at the end of your life, when all the followers fade and the notifications are silent, may you hear the only “Well done” that truly matters.