Fair season is upon us!  The Neshoba County Fair is in full swing, and for the next three months, fairs will pop up all over the state.  They can be a lot of fun.  They also can be a bit expensive.

When my kids were younger, we loved to go to the local fair each year to play, look, and eat.  We also enjoyed going into the building where lots of people submitted their homemade items to be judged.  Some of the items were incredible, and some of them were humorous.  In fact, our family decided that the next year we would enter some of our own creations for the fun of it.

During that year, we saved school projects and crafts made at home, and we entered them when the time came.  To say that we were excited and a bit shocked at the outcome is an understatement.  We (because all of us entered something or some things) won several blue ribbons and several other acknowledgements (alone with little cash prizes ranging from $0.25 to $2.00).  It was exciting to see the joy in our kids’ eyes, and Mom and Dad also felt a little bit proud.

That gets me thinking about all of us when it comes to life.  We all want some blue ribbons in life.  We want to win.  We want others to see what we have done.  We want the acknowledgement that we have done things well.

Sadly, most people seem to settle with the fleeting acknowledgements that life may offer and never realize that there is something far more important than a county fair blue ribbon.

Proverbs 15:33 states: “The fear of the LORD is what wisdom teaches, and humility comes before honor.”  Think about that.  In life, the wisest thing we can do is to fear the Lord.  It is not to gain the most wealth or prestige; it is to make Jesus the priority in our lives.  THAT is life’s greatest blue ribbon.

What is your greatest priority?

Are you focused on things that do not last?  Are you focused on gaining attention by any means?  Are you focused on climbing some social or occupational ladder?  Are you focused on your own enjoyment?

Those things do not last, and when we primarily focus on them, we miss the greatest blessings of life.

I challenge you to seek life’s greatest blue ribbon.  Know Jesus.  Live for Him.  Share Him with others.  Focus on eternal rewards instead of temporary ones.  The result will last far beyond your life here, and you will experience the things that God alone can do.

Erwin Lutzer has a great book on keeping our focus on life’s greatest blue ribbon. Check it out by clicking the picture below…