To keep helping the other as the primary purpose is really, really, really, hard. My observations of well-intentioned, activity involved people confirm this. Self-reflection of my own motives and action confirms this. Really helping the other so easily slips to a secondary position, if it ever really was in the primary position. Too often, helping others is contingent on helping self in some way. Too often I am satisfied with helping the other being secondary. Helping others as a secondary purpose can work well and do some good. It can work well until our primary purpose gets frustrated. I am willing to go down under the bridge and serve so long as my ego gets its fix and I am not too inconvenienced. So often, other kingdoms trump the Kingdom when push comes to shove.
It is hard. Really, really hard. It is sad to see it in myself and to watch it in a world in such need of goodness.
Words from my past come to mind in response to the above. But those platitudes are the topic of the previous post.
2 comments:
i like that this is off facebook. i think sometimes if we think too hard about why we are trying to help someone else things get short circuited? is that a word? i have decided that if someone asks me to do something i will do it. i am trying to look at requests as God giving me a slight nudge. i am really shy. so, some things are a little outside of my comfort zone. anyway, appreciate your posts. thought provoking.
Kitzel:
I think your strategy is a good way of keeping the other primary rather than the self. Maybe that is why Jesus said to give to all who ask.
I do want to learn to just do good and not get bogged down in thinking too much about it. I have learned that the more I know about a person's situation, the less likely I am to help. But I also think that some level of self-examination is need to avoid being fooled by the self. Self interest if fairly well ingrained in us. I know we can persist in some fairly indulgent behavior without being fully aware of it, thinking we are doing good.
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