Motivation

The men's group I attend every Saturday morning has been discussing our jobs and our attitudes towards them. How we tend to hate our jobs and dread going to work every day. Ultimately, we all agreed that it wasn't so much our jobs that were the problem, but our motivation for doing them. It was a good discussion and provided me with a lot of insight. However, it wasn't until I got home and discussed the topic with my fair lady that I truly 'got it'.

I sat down with her and explained to her what the topic was and the message that I received like I usually do. And then began the inquisition. (Smile, Love, I use the term light-heartedly.) Anyhow, she began firing off questions about my motivations for doing just about everything in the past. She took the lesson I had received to a whole new level. And WOW!! I coulda had a V8!

You see, I was raised in the church. I was taught how to fear God and love Jesus. How I was supposed to go to church and Sunday school and youth group. What Bible verses to memorize and how to say the right things. But I was never really taught why I was supposed to do all this. I was never really given the understanding of just what it all really means.

Life goes on and I'm a senior in high school. At some point in that year, my mom and I began to really have it out and I eventually ended up moving out the second I turned 18 in March of that year. Then a month later, my 'one true love' dumped me just hours before our prom. Just weeks after that, all my college plans went down the drain along with every other plan I had made for my future. I was in a tailspin. And I was lost.

Naturally, I did what we all tend to do in times like these. I turned against the church. And I turned against God. I mean really, I did everything I was supposed to do. I went to church. I memorized my scriptures like a good little Christian. I went on missions trips. I suffered through the endless torture of being called '(bible)thumper' at school. I behaved in a (relatively) Christian manner. And in the end, what good did it do me? Where was God's hand in helping me achieve my goals in life? So yeah, I walked away from the hypocrisy of it all.

I went on with my life. Started doing what I wanted to do. Got married on a whim and had kids way to soon. I wasn't the greatest husband, and definitely not the greatest father. Not that I didn't have good intentions in the husband/fatherhood department, but you all know what they say about good intentions. Ended up divorced, remarried, and with another child. Again, all way to soon and having no business to be in such a situation.

Through it all, I continued to do what I wanted to do. Played games into the wee hours of the morning. Flirted with woman I had no right to even be talking to. Etc, etc...you get the picture. Eventually ended up divorced again.

Then along comes my Love. By this time I figured out what I truly wanted in a relationship and what I was willing to give to the right person. Everything started out amazingly grand. Nothing, and I mean nothing, could tear us apart. But slowly, things again started to decline bit by bit. I just wanted a little bit of respect for the things I did for her. Sadly, every time I felt like I wasn't getting what I deserved, I got angry and gave her every reason not to have the least bit of respect for me.

Over the next year and a half, I gradually descended deeper and deeper into the darkest pits of hell. On New Year's Eve of 2008, I had the absolute worst night of my life. In a flash, out of nowhere, I was one mere step from taking the final step over the precipice.

Finally, after hours and hours of exhausting torture, given and taken, Love and I were at a crossroads. Turn back now or continue on into the point of no return. We committed to bringing God into our lives.

We had always talked about how we knew we needed to start going to church, but there was forever something in the way. Mainly our relationship, we needed to get it fixed first. Then, we'd start going.

As it turned out, doing things backwards (in my eyes, anyhow), turned out to be just the right thing and our relationship did a 180 overnight. Sure, there are still bugs in it here and there, but overall, we're doing pretty darn good I think.

What's the point of all this endless rambling? Motivation.

All through my life, even growing up in the church, the motivation behind everything I did was just that. A great...big...I.

I was the only teenager in the church choir because I wanted the praise. I went on missions trips so I could show how great a Christian I was. I left the church because God didn't support the plans I had made. I started doing what I wanted to do because that's what I wanted to do and everyone else just had to deal with it because that's who I was. I did great work at my jobs because I wanted the prestige of fast advancement. Yadda, yadda, yadda...blah, blah, blah...I, I, I, I, I.

Pathetic, I know.

My motivation was all wrong and I'm brought to a saying that I've been hearing repeatedly for the last few months: Don't think less of yourself, but think of yourself less. Begin thinking of others more. God being the first and foremost of the others. God should be our motivation. Doing His work. Pleasing Him.

Colossians 3:17 tells us: And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Yep, you heard right. Everything we do, yes, everything!, should be done to in Christ's name, giving thanks to God the Father. We should be happy just to have the opportunity to be doing the things we do. Give it all to God, and while doing so (with apologies to Jack):

Ask not what your God can do for you; ask what you can do for your God.