Last fall my daughter decided to buy some garbage pickers and start cleaning up the school grounds after school. A few months later, the vice principal told her that she had inspired the start up of an Environmental Club by some students at the school, which she, of course, happily joined. 

Then, in the course of time, the news paper decided to write an article on this awesome club, but without even a mention of my daughter. The COOLEST thing about it was that she didn’t care even in the least! Zero part of her was bothered or offended. ZERO!!

Why? Because when your heart is in it for love, there’s absolutely no self seeking or self focus involved. In Matthew 6, Jesus talks about our “left hand not knowing what our right hand is doing.” He’s talking about the motive behind our kindness.

In a world of attention seeking and praise, Jesus brings to our attention charity with entirely pure motives and total selflessness. It’s offensive to the world. 

I remember, as a teenager, a man scolding me for not saying “thank you” to him after he held the door open for me (I did, btw, but I was shy and said it too quietly). We grow up thinking it’s normal to expect praise and thanks after doing good deeds, but when the goodness is coming from a place of absolute purity and selfless love, there’s no part in our heart whatsoever that expects or looks for praise. It’s just that beautiful! 

That’s exactly what Jesus did on the cross. Easter weekend is here, a time when we celebrate the most selfless, generous, loving, and pure act anyone has ever done in history! ….. And he didn’t even expect a thank you.

He didn’t do it for praise.
He did it all for love.