Weekly Proverb: 20:11

"It is by his deeds that a lad distinguishes himself . . . If his conduct is pure and right"

- Proverbs 20:11

This proverb rings exceedingly true at this time in my life. All around me people are doing the right things, whether it be in the classroom, church, or out in the "real world". By what we see, these people are doing what is right, and so we think or assume that they, the people are right.

I gave a lesson to my students a week or so ago about motives. I asked them what motivated them, or why did they do the things that they did. Usually, when you ask a student this question, they are in trouble for some nonsense, and the reply inevitably given is . . . "I dunno . . ". This response frustrates me to no end, " . . . how can you not know why you did something? How can you have no idea the reason behind you physically and knowingly doing something you know to be wrong." Then I get the ever popular blank stare while I try to explain that it is not that they don't know why they did it, they just know they did it for the wrong reasons or for there own personal gratification, and they, simply, are not willing to say that out loud.

But on the flip side is what this proverb is talking about. Being a teacher at a Christian school, I get the opportunity to speak to students in a way that most other teachers only dream. I also get to see their spiritual growth as well as their mental. There are always those students who really get into the whole "God thing", they start looking and acting transformed because they feel it is the right thing to do. This is a pretty common thing among new Christians, and I have no problem with this in and of itself. I believe it is a stepping stone, or a spring board into a true relationship with Jesus, it is still new and they are changing the outside in order to change the inside. This, again, is not a bad thing, there are many times that in order to change a behavior we must practice avoiding it to keep from it in our minds and hearts, also, we must sometimes practice doing good things so they will come more naturally (reading the Bible is one great example). The problem comes when those initial spiritual feelings (we call this the fire) fizzle out and we're left with this outer shell that looks spiritual and even acts spiritual but our insides are unchanged or hardened. Some of these students who started out their lives with Jesus so strongly, ended up spending more time appearing to be spiritual then actually being spiritual. This creates a problem, as a leader, because we see them doing the right things and naturally assume that they are doing them for the right reasons.

Who we are, will show in what we do, if I love people I will show them love. If I have a heart for kids, I will spend time with them. To be distinguished, truly distinguished, is not something that others should dictate. Anyone can appear holy and good, it is why they do the holy and good things that make them holy and good. If I were to give $1 million dollars to the poor, only for the good press and to get a nice little tax write off, than I did not really do a good thing. Did it help the poor . . . yes, absolutely. But, for me personally, what I did was not righteous. A person who does good and right because it is the good and right thing to do, should be celebrated.