8 Those who plant only for their own benefit will harvest devastation from their selfishness, but those who plant for the benefit of the Spirit will harvest eternal life from the Spirit. 9 Let’s not get tired of doing good, because in time we’ll have a harvest if we don’t give up.
Reflection
I remember an episode of Friends in which Phoebe and Joey argue that no good deed is veritably altruistic. The episode is called, “The One Where Phoebe Hates PBS.”
A bit of context for you if you haven’t watched Friends a thousand times like I have… Joey, an aspiring actor, gets a job “hosting” a PBS telethon. When he’s telling his friends about it, he expresses how happy he is to do a good deed, plus he gets to be on TV. Phoebe calls him out for his motivations and says it’s not really a good deed because he’s only doing it to get on TV. Then he comes back with there’s no such thing as an unselfish good deed because committing a good deed makes you feel good, thus… selfish! This sends Phoebe on a quest to find a good deed that is truly unselfish which is all a bit silly because Phoebe is Phoebe and it’s a sitcom after all.
Here’s my contribution to the debate with all I’ve learned from Sunday School, a degree in Literature, The Good Place, and Reddit…
Motivation is a big part of whether or not a “good” deed is worth a good harvest. If you offer some goodness to the world, but it’s really ONLY to benefit yourself and happens to help others along the way, it’s a moment ripe for poetic justice. BUT if you’re out there helping other people because life is rough and you’re just trying to help each other survive, and that happens to warm the cockles of your heart, you just received your natural consequences. No poetic justice necessary!
Many people are out there doing SO MUCH to help our neighbors, and at this time of year, the charitable collections are only just getting started. I think of amazing people I know who work so hard in these drives (I used to be one of them) and I feel how exhausted they become. Year after year these people return with goals even greater than the previous year. Why? Well, they know that helping those who are less fortunate is basic human decency. Many of us grew up in the church and are following the lessons taught to us by Christ. There are zero doubts in my mind that these people have the most appropriate motivation for doing good deeds. Despite being exhausted at the end of it all, God provides energy, sustenance, and warmth in the cockles of their hearts. That indeed is a good harvest.
by Ashley Bowler
For Pondering and Prayer
As we dive into this year’s holiday season, take a moment to reflect on your charitable donations. What are your motivations? If you’re dropping spare change into a bucket for someone else to do something good with… what are their motivations?
How can you help your neighbor in ways this season that you may not have considered in the past? Reflecting on years past, what kind of harvest have you received in the past?
Prayer: Heavenly Provider, Thank you for the gifts you have graced our lives with. Thank you for the strength, the sustenance, the support that keeps us going. Help us as we navigate this time of year to do the most good while maintaining our earnest motivations to live by Christ’s example. In Your name, Amen.
