Several months ago someone went off on me about how they could never be a part of my church (or any church) where people only did good things to receive blessings from God. They went on about how we should be good people because it's humane, not because we require something in return. But is it really in our human nature, as this person said, to be good "just because," without the expectation of a reward? Sadly, I don't think that is how the world works for most people. Most people don't have a job because they love to work, but because they want a paycheck in return. Most people don't plant a garden because they like to spend all day planting seeds, but because they expect (and hope) to get food in return. Some people say kind things to you just because they want your vote for a position of power. Some people (teenagers :)) usually aren't nice to their parents just because they love them, but because they want to borrow the car for the night. The world is a place where we don't get something for nothing, and usually nothing for something. Life is all about giving and taking, and unfortunately, many people are more about taking than giving. As humans, I know we are imperfect and we live in an imperfect world. But what makes one person want to be good because they just feel deep down in their heart it's the right thing to do, and another because they want something in return? That's been on my mind for awhile. Anyway, last Sunday the RS lesson was called "When the Lord commands, Do it." How straightforward is that? Just do it. Don't ask questions, don't wonder if you'll be blessed for doing it. Just do it. I was glad I went to RS that day because there was a lady sitting next to me that made a beautiful comment. I know I won't be able to remember it word for word, but she said something to the effect that, it shows a great amount of spiritual maturity when we do good things because we love the Lord and want to obey His commandments, and not because we need/want/expect blessings from Him in return. I really needed to hear that. Then I started asking myself, but what if there was no religion or society to tell us what's wrong or right, or put fear in us to be good people (or else pay the consequence...?) What would stop people from stealing, raping, murdering, etc? Our predisposition to be good? But for that person who doesn't believe in God or a higher power, where did that inborn inclination come from? Who gave it to us? (Really, I'm not asking these questions to tick off anyone who doesn't believe in God, I'm just trying to make sense of this in my mind, ya know?) So I have a hard time believing we came from germs or just appeared or evolved because it makes more sense to me that we were all made in the image of God and born with an inherent tendency to be good. But since we are imperfect mortals and we live in the world, we can be swayed to make wrong decisions. So I guess the question for me is how do we escape that? How do we become spiritually mature, as that lady sitting next to me in church mentioned? Is it just about "putting off the natural man" or is there more to it than that? Are we doing good things because we love the Lord, or because we want blessings in return? I have a hard time believing that anyone in our church is actually that selfish, but who knows? Regardless, it was a good question to ask myself, and it made me re-evaluate my life. So, what are your thoughts?
3 comments:
I've had the hardest time leaving comments on your blog for some reason. The other day the window kept closing when I'd click "publish". Duh! We are missing you like crazy here. YW is just not the same without you and the man child.
I had a religion class in college. It was really good to see how different religions and cultures believe. There are quite a few religions that believe in different types of Gods, or just the opposite, that God is within us, and God is empty, so until we come in harmony with ourselves and completely strip off any physical or description of ourselves and who we think we are, we can never become enlightened.
Almost everything we do is for our own gain. There might be a few small instances that we do something completely selfless, and are happy to do it. But even the times we perform service, we expect to get something out of it, even if it is just self satisfaction or a big “thank you.”
If you have no one to answer to but yourself, what is stopping you from doing whatever you want. So if you answer only to yourself, you still want yourself to be happy, and by pissing people off, you aren’t going to be happy. So maybe that internal pre-disposition to be good comes from the general knowledge that if you are good, good things happen, and if you are bad, bad things happen.
The way we act in society depends upon consequences, so maybe all of us are born with internal characteristics of doing good which comes from our previous existence as intelligences and God creating us. There will always be the argument that we are just born with the ability to determine good from bad. But if that doesn’t come from God, then where does it come from? I guess they could say it comes from how we are raised, but you can’t get a full perfect education of the fundamentals of good vs. evil from another imperfect human that doesn’t have that within them already.
Jamie,
That was a great comment. That we do good things because we love the Lord and want to obey His commandments. Spiritual maturity is a good way to describe that state, and just like any kind of maturity, it comes with time and with practice. We can thwart the process, we can stop it altogether, we can even deny it happens, but I believe it is the Light of Christ which we are all born with that leads us to choose good over evil.
Sadly the influences of Satan are many and are strong. They can smother the Light of Christ in us if we allow it. They lead us to believe that we are right no matter what we think or do. It isn't so. There is a sad void in people who think that way. They will spend their entire lives trying to fill it. Fill it with sin, fill it with pride, with things, with money, or fill it by searching for the very thing they cast away. Regardless of their methods, they will never be full, or content, and they will never progress to that spiritual maturity your friend described. It takes a conscious effort, a willing and humble attitude, the ability to be taught - and yes to be led - by the Master of us all. We cannot be like Him unless we try to be like Him.
Good people do good because they enjoy doing good, not because they want something out of it. Do we do things just for ourselves - I really don't think so. Sure we do things for fun, for basic needs, and for just plain wants..If all we did was to get something in return the human race would die off. But my dear, you did not have a child for selfish reasons - nor because you wanted something out of it. Having a child is the most unselfish thing you could ever do - because basically, you have given away the rest of your life for him. Every thing you ever do from now on, he will be first in your mind. Trust me, it's true. Did you do it to get blessings? I doubt it - but he is one isn't he?
Love you, Mom
Post a Comment