Cry of the self-absorbed

Wow, this is the 2nd blog I've written in less than a week. To be completely honest, I had the idea for this particular piece floating around in my head the night after I wrote my last one. I figured I should hold off on writing it until all the people that don't know this blog exists have had ample time to not read my last submission.

Anyway, onto my rant for today.

Have you ever sat down and talked with a friend and they go off on how they know exactly what they're going to do with their life because it's their passion to do that work for God? Sounds pretty fantastic doesn't it?

But do you know what word in that sentence sends up a red flag for me? Their. It's not God's plan for their lives, it's their plan to do God's work. Now, don't get me wrong, usually what this person is looking at doing is perfectly acceptable by all standards. It's usually a missions trip, or some sort of drop-in shelter, or something of the sort, but is it being done for the right reasons? Most of these people are the exact same one's that have to tell everyone they see about all the amazing things they've done and all the wonderful gifts they've given etc. Not to say these stories aren't kinda cool sometimes, but you need to be very careful of who you're giving the credit too.

If you were to give a homeless person a fifty dollar bill, who would you tell about it? Would you run and tell all your friends about your ministry oppurtunity? Or would you keep it private? Would you keep it only between you and God, and let His knowledge that you have done a small work for His kingdom, in His name, be enough?

Matthew 6:2-4 says:

2"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (NIV)

Now, some of you may take this personal, and I want you to now right now that this is not my intention. My original purposes for writing this blog is a reminder to myself first and foremost. Not a few months ago I was that person running and telling everyone about ministry oppurtunities I came across. I'll admit that a large part of it was excitement that I could actually remember and use some of the things I had been learning at school. But in my desire to share my excitement with those around me, I was desiring their admiration. I wanted them to know what I was doing so they would think me a better person. I wanted them to know so that I could sit idle and let my ego grow. I wanted them to know so that I could feel superior.

So next time you go to give money to a homeless person, don't flash around a fifty dollar bill before proudly dropping it in their lap. Take them out and buy them a nice, hot meal, or even a cup of coffee. Most of the time you'll make their day brighter, you'll feel good about yourself without needing the approval of others, and there's a pretty good chance you'll make a friend too.



[EDIT: This actually veered the complete other direction than where I had originally intended it to go. In fact, during the process of writing this I felt like I wrote two completely different articles. Just a fun fact for you all of you who were wondering why my introduction has absolutely nothing to do with the rest of my blog!]