Charity Rewards
What motivates you to do good?
Do you do it to feel good? Do you look for recognition or reward?
Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.- Matthew 6:1
In today's reading, Jesus warns his disciples against seeking approval from others, telling them to keep what they do between them and their God.
That should be easy, but it isn't as simple as it sounds.
Even something we do without anyone knowing may eventually come out in conversation somewhere down the road. We can't help it. We like to brag. We want people to know how good we are.
The way Jesus describes it, we might envision a rewards account. We earn points with each good deed and they get stored in this account until we spend them by showing or telling others.
They pay us respect or treat us in a special way because of our deeds, and the account gets depleted.
I know that sounds terrible. Who wants to think of a rewards account as the main motivation for being or doing good? Shouldn't we just do what we do because we are good people?
The main point is that our actions should be sincere. We should be giving to the poor because we care. not to gain approval from others.
I get that, and I think I do that.
But then, I do use an envelope at the church, so I get an accounting of what I donate. And I make my list of donations for my Income Tax reporting, and I get a deduction for that.
Maybe I am already getting my reward.
Maybe I think I am doing these things because of my love for God and my neighbor, but I am given added incentive along the way.
Acts of charity and good will should come from the heart and I believe mine do, but I need to keep in mind that I am getting some benefit out of my heartfelt actions. It is not all due to my good nature alone.
Does that mean I shouldn't report my donations to get deductions? Hmm.
I wonder what my accountant would say about that.
More to come...