Testing Character

“As the fining pot for silver,
and the furnace for gold;
so is a man to his praise” (Prov 27:21).

Your character is what you really are. It is not what your parents make you do, or how you want to look to your friends, or even what you someday hope to be. It is what you are in your heart. Your character is exposed by your actions. When you are put in a difficult situation, it shows your character—who you really are. When you are alone or with people you feel comfortable, then your character comes to the surface.
This proverb describes something else that tests or displays your character: praise or fame. There are two examples that are similar to a third thing. First, a “fining pot” is for silver. Silver is purified by heating it into a liquid and removing the dross, or impurities. Second, a furnace is for gold. Gold is refined by smelting, a process that involves heat and a carbon reducing agent. The two examples are similar: they undergo a refining process that shows how pure and valuable they really are.
In the same way, people undergo a refining process: fame and praise. When somebody becomes famous, he may become very proud, refusing to associate with “lower” people. He may become very selfish and greedy, trying to gain financially from his fame. He may use his fame to try to advance causes or interests he thinks are important. But it is not so much that the fame “changes” him, but that it “reveals” his true character.
How about you? If you are praised by a teacher or parent, do you demonstrate a heart of pride? If you become more popular with classmates at school, does it show an unkind and unloving spirit? What does praise reveal about your character?