Cocktail of Mixed Motives, On the Rocks

Fellow blogger Molly from the Far North has emerged from months of hibernation. After saying “goodbye” to us at the end of last year…well, it’s good to see her blogging again. A recent post of hers on motives has got me thinking about a simple truth, yet one that is incredibly important, and one that should inform how we deal with one another a lot more than it does. That truth is:

For a human being living on this earth, there is really no such thing as “pure motives.”

I invite you to think about that for moment. I’ll wait….

….

Ever since the fall of man, we have struggled with self-addiction as a species. And while Christ-followers are on a path of redemption, that redemption is still a process–which means we are not “there” yet. And that means that as long as we remain in that place of “not-there-yet”, then no matter how much we try to do the right thing, and do it for the right reasons…it is highly unlikely that we will do it with 100-percent pure motives. Rarely, if ever, do we do something good unless there is something good in it for us–even if it’s just a good feeling.

Is that a depressing thought? It isn’t meant to be depressing…just honest.

How about a tangible example? Many of you reading this blog get something good out of it, and you tell me as much. And I’m glad for that; I really am. It is awesome when my ramblings here bless someone, or help someone, or make someone’s life better. I could tell you the main reason I write this blog is to help others on their journey. I could tell you that even the recent postings I’ve done about women’s issues are only because I care so much about my sisters in Christ and want nothing more than to see them released.

I could tell you all that, and you might even want to believe it. But deep inside, you’d know I was lying.

Let’s face facts; as glad as I am that this blog might do some good for somebody else…if I wasn’t getting something out of it myself, I wouldn’t be writing it. This is not an exercise in laying down my life. I started this blog to process my own journey, and to hone my writing skills; and I feel good about helping people in the process. I am writing for myself. (Dang; so much for selfless motives.)

Now, to clarify–I’m not saying my motives are bad. I do care about my sisters, and I do care about helping others. I’m just saying those aren’t the only reasons I write. My motives aren’t inherently evil; they just aren’t pure. Whether I like it or not…there is a mixture. A cocktail of motives. Because I’m human, just like you.

So why split hairs on this? Because far too often, as Molly points out, the church focuses so much on the need for pure motives. We discount people from participating in various ministry efforts because we perceive a mixture of motives. And when someone confronts us, we like to focus on their impure motives as a way to disqualify what they have to say…regardless of how much truth might be in it. Not to say the motives of our heart are unimportant–they are. But how often do we disqualify one another–and ourselves–over the issue of motives, which will never be entirely pure in this life?

How often do we ignore our own mixed motives in pointing out the mixed motives of others? How often have I done this myself? How often have you?

Here’s my point. A God who obviously isn’t afraid of risk has for some reason entrusted the spreading of His gospel to a group of broken people, filled with mixed motives–people who are being healed, but who are “not there yet.” In fact, God seems to relish choosing the unlikely ones to do His bidding. And despite our humanness and selfishness, Jesus continues to invite us into His mission–knowing that our motives will not be pure. Apparently, He is not as concerned about mixed motives as we are.

Paul put it this way once, when mentioning that some were preaching the Gospel with their own gain in mind, and others with a right heart: “Either way…the gospel is being preached.”

Now, does this mean motives don’t matter? May it never be! 🙂 Of course they matter; examining the intentions of our heart is a crucial part of discipleship as we seek to be formed in Christ’s image. It just means that for the most part, motives aren’t the determining factor in whether we are qualified to do the work of Christ.

Or look at it this way: if pure motives are prerequisite for ministry…we are all disqualified.

So what does this mean for us? It means we should be slow to judge one another, and slow to disqualify each other. It means that everyone is capable of speaking the truth, and we should embrace the truth when we hear it, no matter who is doing the speaking. It means we should be slow to anger, and quick to show mercy.

It also means that while we should always seek to purify our hearts…we are without excuse when it comes to participating in Christ’s mission. We aren’t off the hook for our cocktail of mixed motives. 🙂