A Motivational Reminder

Yesterday, while I was on my way to school, I saw a bunch of papers scattered on the road. I figured that they belonged to someone, and some of them looked pretty important. Still, I wanted to get to class on time, so I almost rode past them, but then I thought "Are you a Paladin or not?" So, I stopped my bike and dodged traffic while picking up the papers and trying to figure out who they might belong to. I eventually found a name and address on one of them, and I took those papers back to their rightful owner later that day.

It occurs to me now that the papers that I thought might be important are probably old enough by now that it was just a bunch of recyclable scrap paper, but still, I felt like I made the right decision by stopping my bike, gathering the papers, and getting them home. And all of that was motivated by remembering who I am and who I want to be.

We are not Paladins, nor are almost any of you seriously considering trying to be like Paladins, so the phrase that inspired me to accept that little "quest" probably wouldn't inspire any of you the same way. However, there is one phrase that might do the same trick for each of us: "Are you a Christian or not?"

Many of us are, or at least are trying to be, good Christians, and one of the chief aspects of Christianity is giving selfless service. When I saw those papers, I knew that they weren't really my problem and that I didn't have much to gain by solving the problem. I didn't know how far out of my way the quest would take me or how much it would require of me. But I knew that it was the right thing to do, and once I was reminded that I want to be the kind of person who does what's right, that was all it took to motivate me to pick up the papers. Plus, it was kind of fun to think that I was on a sort of adventure.

Maybe you don't need that kind of motivational reminder. Maybe being a Christian is already at the center of your decision-making process. Maybe all of the choices you make in your life are weighed by the question "What would Jesus do?" If so, that's great! But if you're not quite there yet, (And I know I'm not!) maybe an occasional reminder might be good for you, just like the reminder I got yesterday was good for me. Think about what kind of person you want to be, and think about how that desire should influence your choices. I did a good thing yesterday because I wanted to be like a Paladin. Think of what good things we can do because we want to be good Christians.