Acts of service can look identical on the outside yet come from entirely different places within. The same meal delivered, the same ride offered, the same message sent - but the love behind it is what truly matters.
Matthew 6:1 cautions us, "Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven." Jesus points to something important here - not just what we do, but why we do it.
We all know what it feels like to serve with mixed motives. Those times when we help someone and catch ourselves hoping others notice. When we volunteer and silently calculate what we might gain in return. When we give but feel that subtle pull toward recognition.
It's so human, isn't it? The desire to be seen, appreciated, valued. Yet Jesus gently redirects our attention from the external applause to the internal conversation between our hearts and God's.
The heart behind our hands matters more than the work our hands accomplish. It's not that the action itself isn't important - it absolutely is. God isn’t swayed by what’s seen — He looks straight to the heart and the intentions that guide us.
I think of how different service feels when it comes from pure motives. There's a lightness to it, a freedom. We're not constantly checking for approval or recognition. We're not keeping score. We're simply extending what we've received - grace upon grace.
When my motives get messy — which happens — gratitude brings me back to what matters most. Remembering that everything I have to offer was first given to me. My time, my abilities, my resources - all gifts before they become offerings.
What we do with our hands will eventually fade. The meals will be eaten, the buildings will weather, the notes will be forgotten. But the heart behind those actions creates something eternal. It shapes who we're becoming. It reflects who God is to a watching world.
Serving others isn't about adding another task to our already full lives. It's about allowing God's love to flow through us rather than stopping with us. It's recognizing that our hands were designed not just to receive but to extend what we've been given.
As you serve in ways both small and significant, consider the heart behind your hands. Not to heap on guilt, but to realign with truth. Not because perfect motives are possible, but because awareness leads to growth.