An Audience Of One
Whenever a trash-talking pop singer or self-important movie star bad-mouths God, the American way, mother-hood, or apple pie, politicians almost trample each other in their stampede to find the nearest television news crew and declare their undying devotion to all things noble and true.
And at campaign time, when votes are on the line, candidates crawl out of the woodwork to appear at churches, parades, civic events, concerts, and workplaces to portray themselves as ten times more concerned about average guys and gals than their political opponents.
It’s not just politicians who like to be seen as being good. When billionaire philanthropists give big checks to well-known charities, they make sure photographers are there to capture the act.
And when a corporate leader opens a new plant and hires more workers, he invites the local paper to the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Even some church people can fall prey to the temptation to put performance over substance.
In decades past, people who spent Monday through Saturday ignoring fashion would wear their Sunday best to go to church.
While there’s less emphasis on the dress at many contemporary churches, some people still feel an overpowering need to be upfront in teaching, preaching, singing, praying, or praising the Lord.
There’s nothing wrong with doing good things. And there’s nothing wrong with being seen doing good—as long as that’s not the main reason you’re doing it.
Be careful, said Jesus. If you do things primarily to fill your own hunger for personal affirmation or public approval, that’s all the reward you will get.
When we do things merely so others will see us, we short-circuit God’s eternal desire that his children would do good deeds for him.
If we perform only for the crowd’s applause, Jesus has a warning for us: “I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full” (Matt. 6:5).
One of the most saintly people of recent years was a tiny but tireless woman named Mother Teresa.
Born into a wealthy family, she left it all behind to serve the poorest of the poor in the slums of Calcutta, India.
Her parents tried to pressure her into finding some other kind of work, but Teresa chose to remain true to her calling, even though it meant being cut off from her family and losing her share of a substantial inheritance.
We’ve all heard the phrase “upwardly mobile.” But Mother Teresa’s ministry followed the opposite trajectory: she was wholeheartedly “downwardly mobile.”
Instead of courting the favor of the famous or the powerful, she sought to do nothing more than to be a servant to impoverished people who tried to survive at the bottom of India’s highly stratified socioeconomic ladder.
Of course, the people she and her sisters helped were thankful, but Teresa deflected their praise, encouraging them to thank God rather than her.
Naturally, Mother Teresa’s work attracted plenty of attention.
Reporters from around the world repeatedly tried to interview her, but she typically turned down most of these opportunities.
Some people thought she was crazy, but unlike pop stars and politicians, she knew she wouldn’t find her true reward in the glare of the spotlights.
Instead, she made her life into a performance intended for an audience of one. And she rested in the assurance that God had accepted her sacrifice and was cheering her on from heaven.
Father, help me to do more things for only your eyes and approval.