✕
☰

Motives Matter

by

Proverbs 4:23: “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”

I don’t like coffee. It feels good to say that out loud. It tastes like mud. However, on days when I need to hit the ground running, I will pour myself a cup (milk and lots of sugar) and drink it willingly. Why? I’m motivated to conquer my to-do list and I believe coffee will aid me in that mission.

Our underlying motives hold powerful clues to the why behind our what. Millions of dollars are spent analyzing them for marketing analysis. Our legal system spends ample resources uncovering them, and moms and dads all over the world spend years shaping them. In short, motives matter. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”

If a wellspring is a continual source of something, in this case life, wouldn’t we be wise to take inventory of our hearts, the place where our motives originate? Motives aren’t idle; they’re constant catalysts for our behaviors and choices. They require blunt honesty to understand. Once you recognize them, you’ve found the pathway to a richer question…what do I believe?

Our motives stem from our core beliefs, and everything we do—from grocery shopping to our style of parenting—has underlying motives stemming from deeper beliefs. Check out this short list and conduct a quick self-check to see where your motivations lie…

Lately the question in our family is "Why do we do what we do?" From our activities to how we spend money, where do our motivations lie? We want to make sure our motives are aligned with our beliefs. We want our kids to trust our motives even when they don’t understand our decisions. We desire to be people of integrity living lives worth imitating.

“Guarding your heart” isn’t an easy or painless process. Especially when we realize our motivations are misguided, our beliefs have become shaken or we’re living a life of obligation over integrity. The words in Galations 5:1 reveal one of Jesus’ motives for His mission: “For freedom Christ has set us free…” Freedom is motivating. Love is motivating. Both are great places to begin, so let’s go there and focus on living like people set free.

 

Faith & Family columnist Jena Meyerpeter writes from Lenexa.

Back to topbutton