Australia Day Honours

Carolyn and the kids are in Perth for a family wedding, so I'm home alone for a few days... well, I haven't been alone all that much - I went to Merredin yesterday with a friend and his boys, and this morning was the Australia Day Breakfast at our local pool. The shire puts it on every year to thank the volunteers in the community with a free bbq brekkie. Each year the Citizen of the Year is named, based on long-standing voluntary contribution to the community.

I've got to admit that I'm someone who loves recognition. I'd love to win "Citizen of the Year". After all, I do HEAPS of stuff for the community :-). (for those who don't know me there's a bit of tongue-in-cheek there!)

The desire for recognition can be a problem for all of us in vocational ministry or volunteer service. I was chatting to someone recently who has a colleague who always seems to want to hog the credit for stuff - I know I've worked with people like that!

Sometimes in a my situation it is easy to justify that desire with excuses like: "I'm trying to raise the profile of our church", or "It's a good witness".

Some time ago God challenged me with this question: "If I asked you to serve me in total obscurity for your whole life, would you do it?" I realised that God was putting His finger on something dangerous in my heart. Often when I dreamed of the future, the dream had more to do with my success or status than a genuine desire to love and serve.

It's a question that after some self-examination I was able to answer "yes" to, but I know that question is going to have to be asked of me over and over again.

When you serve out of ambition rather than out of love, there is a hypocrisy to it. People get the vibe that you only seem eager to help when you get the credit or attention. You are not serving them, you are serving your ego or agenda through them.

Matthew 6:1-3 is a good heart-check:

“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

^2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. ^3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ^4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

The point is not to be a secrecy freak, it is care more about serving than about recognition or remembrance of your service. Don't keep score yourself, and don't expect others to. Enjoy and be encouraged by positive feedback, but don't serve just to get that.

That way, when someon else gets honoured as "Citizen of the Year", you will be genuinely happy for them and not wish it was you up there!