Are You an Attention Seeker?

Whether in the form of a toddler’s temper tantrum, a celebrity’s outlandish exploits, a teenager’s rebellion, or the class clown’s obnoxious antics, we’ve all seen—and been guilty of—seeking attention. In fact, I’ve written before about approval as one of the three root idols of our hearts. By that I mean that all of our sin issues can be traced back to the idolatry of one (or perhaps more than one) of three things: comfort, control, and approval. 

For instance, I love to read, and getting a specially set-aside time to open a book each day can become too important to me. I might sin in order to get it or (more likely) sin because I don’t get it. However, it’s not actually books that I idolize. The idol I’m serving is comfort (and probably also control). 

A teenager who, in open rebellion against his parents, sneaks out to go to a party with his friends is likely idolizing both approval and control. Locking him in his room and putting bars on the windows may curtail the nocturnal escapades, but it will not kill the root idol. Why? The idol is not the party. It’s approval and control—and you can be sure those idols will find another area in which to manifest themselves. 

Clearly, being an approval junkie is sinful. Clamoring after the attention of other people—what the Bible calls the “fear of man”—is a trap (Prov. 29:25) that can seriously derail a person’s life. Yet what if seeking attention isn’t always bad? What if the idol of approval is actually a virulent mutation of a good, God-given desire of our hearts? 

“This Is the One to Whom I Will Look” 

In the final chapter of Isaiah, we find God talking one last time to the nation of Judah. Unsurprisingly, they’re just going through the motions of religion to please God. However, in verse 2, Yahweh tells the people two very important things: First, their desire for God’s attention is not bad. Second, they’re going about it all wrong. 

But this is the one to whom I will look:
   he who is humble and contrite in spirit
   and trembles at my word. (Isaiah 66:2 ESV)

God tells the people, “This is the one to whom I will look.” With that statement, He alerts them to the reality that their desire for God’s attention is, in fact, a worthy pursuit. We should want Him to look toward us. 

However, as we see in the next verses, God is not impressed by all the religious works we try to amass in order to gain His approval. The Jews were trying things like offering the right sacrifices and offerings. We modern Christians may think that our church ministry or outreach efforts will attract God’s gaze. While those are certainly desirable undertakings, they will never by themselves accomplish the purpose of earning “brownie points” with the Creator. 

“He Who Is Humble and Contrite in Spirit” 

Often we spend so much time looking for something to do that we forget to focus on who we are. Attracting God’s gaze has nothing to do with our activities and everything to do with our hearts. The eyes of God search over the earth, looking not for people who can do the most for Him but for those who bear the fruit of humility in their lives. 

When I asked the web for a definition of humility, here are a few that it found: 

1. “Freedom from pride or arrogance”¹
2. “The quality of not being proud because you are aware of your bad qualities”²
3. “The downward disposition of a Godward self-perception”³
4. “Seeks to bring glory and honor to God and looks out for the interests of others”⁴

To add one more thought to the mix, I would say that humility is the ability to accurately see oneself in light of an accurate view of God. Humility, then, is not about self-degradation, self-deprecation, or self-flagellation.

A humble person’s eyes are looking up and looking out, taking long gazes at the beauty and majesty of God and always seeking opportunities to love and serve other people. The idol of approval, on the other hand, bends that gaze back onto itself so that I am always looking at me. True humility, as Tim Keller famously wrote, is experiencing the “freedom of self-forgetfulness.”⁵

This, then, is somewhat ironic when we consider where we began—getting attention from God. While God sees and knows everyone, His attention is particularly drawn to those who aren’t seeking it at all. He looks lovingly upon those who love to gaze at Him and love to meet the needs of others without ever asking, “What’s in it for me?”

“And Who Trembles at My Word” 

Closely related and yet distinct from the first quality that gets God’s attention is a trepidation at the Word of God. Continuing in the context of Isaiah 66, we see the root of the Israelites’ problems: 

“I also will choose harsh treatment for them
   and bring their fears upon them,
because when I called, no one answered,
   when I spoke, they did not listen;
but they did what was evil in my eyes
   and chose that in which I did not delight.” (Isaiah 66:4 ESV)

Israel had every chance to respond to God’s Word with fear and repentance. Instead, they persisted in being wise in their own eyes and doing what God had called evil. Scripture makes Israel’s mistakes blatantly obvious for us, so it’s easy to think we have the moral high ground. 

The truth is that God allowed their mistakes to be recorded because we so often make the same ones. We leave the Bible closed for days or weeks at a time or go through the motions of reading it (probably to get the aforementioned “brownie points” with God). Yet how often do our hearts truly tremble at His Word? 

We have the luxury of perpetually having the Bible at our fingertips. Whether on our phones, on our shelves, in our pews, or online, the Word of God is never far away. However, I wonder if Satan has managed to twist the availability of Scripture into a tool for his own purposes as we become jaded and bored with the living and active words of God Himself. 

Seeking attention by pitching a fit, giving someone the silent treatment, or being a loudmouth is wrong. But the desire for attention, in and of itself, isn’t wrong. We were created to crave the approval of our Creator. He isn’t impressed, though, with good deeds, religious rituals, or empty prayers. His attention goes to the humble, contrite sinner who trembles at His Word.

¹ https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/humility

² https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/humility

³ https://learn.ligonier.org/articles/virtues-vices-humilty

⁴ https://e360bible.org/blog/humility-biblical-definition/

⁵ Timothy Keller and Neil Gardner, The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness: The Path to True Christian Joy (San Marcos: 10Publishing, 2022).