A Sunday Morning Treat

This past Sunday, I did not have any morning meetings (which only happens once a month for me), I always enjoy these mornings with my family. I decided to watch Music and the Spoken Word as I was getting ready for church. The music was nice, but the message was great! It was a idea I have been thinking about a lot lately. Not only regarding my children, but also regarding my calling in Young Women.

Goodness is its Own Reward

We live in a world were awards seem to be freely given and freely received. In fact, sometimes the award becomes such a strong incentive for good work and behavior, that it overshadows the more subtle rewards that might be enjoyed along the way.

Especially with today's youth, awards are often larger than life motivations. Children work busily to complete their household chores with the hope that it will earn them a special treat from their parents. Meanwhile the satisfaction of a clean home goes unnoticed. Teenager's bring home a stellar report card, but can't recall what they learned in school that day. In their pursuit of good grades, they've somehow missed the thrill of gaining and applying knowledge.

Prehaps we unintentionally reinforce this attitude by expressing love or approval with expensive gifts, when little children are often quite pleased with the packaging-or even just the visit. We may deprive our young people of the most enduring rewards if we fail to teach them that goodness is its own reward. We feel good when we are doing good.

Indeed, the means can be just as fulfilling as the end if our motivation for acheiving our personal goals are not just the awards that dangle infront of us. We make more lasting progress and feel more contented when we learn to enjoy not only the reward but the path that leads to it. Some young people long to graduate or secure a high paying job, only to find that their "dream" is not as satisfying as they thought it would be. "What comes next?" or "Is this all their is?", maybe their unspoken feeling.

If, however, we pay attention to the more understated moments of success along the way- the times we completed a difficult task, the mornings we arose early to exercise or study, the people we've helped - we begin to understand that the true reward is what we've become, not what we've earned. The Proverbs teach, "To him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward" (Proverbs 11:18). Intuitively children seem to know that. They just need to be reminded that while a prize is pleasing, a sense of doing right is the truest joy.

I totally agree with all of this, I just have a hard time implementing it! This has inspired me to try a little harder!