A Lenten Reflection – What are your motivations?
Lent is a season of reflection. It comes from an Old English word meaning “a lengthening.” As the days become longer and Spring approaches, nature begins to show renewed life, energy, and growth. The trees will begin to sprout green tinted leaves, warmer winds will blow, and the sky will lose its grayish cast and take on a rich blue tint.
During this season of Lent Christians are called upon to reflect together on the final weeks of Christ’s ministry. We remember his betrayal, arrest, and suffering upon the cross. Lent is a time for us to reflect as well upon our own discipleship. It is a time to examine our motivations for serving our Lord Jesus Christ. Like a scuba diver exploring the coral reef below, we, too, search below the surface and examine who we are and why we are here in God’s world.
Podcasts and conferences are awash with nationally known motivational speakers. The virtual shelves of Amazon are crowded with books that motivate people to become more productive workers and effective leaders. Good business leaders recognize the importance of motivation in cementing a business deal or guiding a project from vision to implementation.
Motivation is also essential to healthy living. A marriage flounders unless both partners are committed to remaining faithful and interested in one another. A championship season is almost impossible without coaches and players who are highly motivated. In our spiritual lives our motivation is important if we are to serve Jesus with energy, intelligence, imagination and love. So what motivates us in the Christian life?
In the Gospel readings of the Lenten season Jesus examines our motives with great care. He gazes into hearts to see what is at work in our souls. His teachings shine a light on the hypocrisy we keep well hidden in our soul’s cluttered closet. How often do we catch ourselves doing a good deed with an ulterior motive, thinking such things as, “If I help the boss out by staying late, perhaps she will promote me and not the person adjacent to me on the org chart.” Or, “If I tithe, I can assure my place in heaven.” Our self-deception can be a wonder to behold.
My wife and I used to watch the hit television show Friends when it aired each Thursday evening. In one episode, two characters, Phoebe and Joey, debate the possibility of a truly selfless action. Phoebe naively assumes that it is possible and easy to find. The skeptical Joey assumes the worst in matters of human motivation. Every time that Phoebe tries to do a selfless act, Joey finds the benefit for her in doing it. Finally, to help out Joey and prove to him that selfless acts are possible, Phoebe calls in a large donation to Joey as he works a telethon. As she hangs up the phone, she announces how good it made her feel to prove Joey wrong. Then she realizes that she has just made the act a selfish one. It is indeed hard to remove personal interest from our motivations.
Lent is a season of hope in which we can grow our faith. But we can’t grow in faith if our motives are as soiled as the old oil in the rototiller that we forgot to change after turning the beds of the garden last season. Lent is the perfect time to explore our true motives for doing things. It is a time to repent – to turn around - and be more authentic in service to our Savior.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor John