Itsara

A lot of us Christians have a tendency to believe that when we do the right things God will bless us. No, wait. That’s too vague. What I mean is, we tend to believe that if we do not sin, if we tithe properly, if we go to church, etc. then God will bless us in immediate, material ways. After all, if he doesn’t, then what’s the point, right?

That’s the question I’ve been thinking about: what’s the point? Why do we do good? It’s a critical question that we keep getting wrong. We do good things so we’ll get to Heaven. We do good things because God will punish us if we don’t. We do good things so that God will bless us.

I don’t think any of these are right though. I mean, there are murderers in Heaven. There are adulterers on Earth that are never punished. There are poor folks who tithe and remain poor their whole lives. There are rich folks who don’t give a penny, but they’re still rich and getting richer.

I teach my kids to share, to tell the truth, not to steal other people’s stuff. When they ask why, I don’t tell them it’s because something good will happen to them. Honestly the “good things” my kids want can be had much more easily by lying, stealing, and being selfish. For adults, too: if it’s money you’re after for example, lying, stealing, and being selfish will give you a higher probability of achieving it than tithing will.

My point is not that we should lie, cheat, and steal. My point is that maybe we’re aiming at the wrong things, that maybe avoiding punishment and getting rewards is the wrong motivation.

Right now, Isaac’s primary motivation not to hit Nathan is avoiding a time-out. Nathan’s primary motivation to clean up his toys is watching a movie. Punishments and rewards help teach children how to live, but if the child never grows out of them – if they always require punishments and rewards to do what’s right – then they will never truly be adults. Certainly there are many adults who live like this, only doing what’s right when someone is watching.

God doesn’t want people who are interested only in the immediate rewards, or even the “long term” rewards of an eternal life. He wants people to trust Him because He’s God. He wants people who will do what He says, even if they never see the results. I want Isaac not to hit Nathan because he cares about Nathan. I want Nathan to clean up his toys because he cares about the house, about others. I want them to learn to do what’s right, not for the rewards – and in the long run, not even because they care for others – but because doing those things will make them better people.

And I think becoming better people, people God can be proud of, is the point. Not being better people, mind you, but becoming. The goal is the journey, and it’s a journey I bet we’ll still be on when this life is over, though that’s another post.