But knowledge puffs up while love builds up.
~1 Corinthians 8:1 (NIV)
~1 Corinthians 8:1 (NIV)
Whether it’s scuba diving or snorkeling it’s always exciting to spot Tetraodontidae—a type of fish that you may know as the Pufferfish, Balloonfish, Blowfish, Bubblefish, Globefish, or Swellfish.
One of the Blowfish’s defense mechanisms is to fill it extremely elastic stomach with water (or air when outside the water) until it is almost spherical in shape. Although highly effective in warding off predators, in its inflated state it loses the ability to navigate throughout the water! It just kind of floats around as if to say, “I’m the biggest, toughest fish in the ocean, so don’t mess with me, buddy!”
We men struggle with what I call the “Blowfish Mentality” where we try to look bigger and better than we actually are. While on an elk hunt in September of 2017 I had an epiphany where God revealed some reasons why I puff myself up instead of building others up. That’s a story best told over a cup of coffee between friends.
We love to do this when we interact with other men. Our natural propensity is to puff ourselves up at the expense of those around us.
But the Bible tells us something quite opposite; “knowledge puffs up while love builds up” (1 Corinthians 8:1). In other words, we are called to build each other up, to love them, and pump them up.
Here’s a great way to test whether I’ve backslidden into the Blow Fish mentality. When I’m done talking to someone do they leave thinking how great they are, and how great God is?
Or, do they walk away thinking how great I am? Ouch. It hurts every time I’m
reminded of self-inflating conversations from my past. John the Baptist is one of the greatest men ever because he lived to build up Jesus saying, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”
Who do you need to inflate today? How do you need to deflate yourself to do this?
