Motive

We are charged as believers to live out the gospel to the world and to proclaim God's truth.  Psalm 96 says:
2 Sing to the Lord, bless His name; Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.
3 Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples.
4 For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods.

This is that season during which there is a great proliferation of gospel ministry.  Children are learning about Jesus in Vacation Bible Schools all around our region.  Churches will offer summer missions opportunities at home and abroad.   Serving at a summer camp like next week's Alabama Family Retreat or a WinShape Camp, provide unique service options.  And, every day, we have a chance to live our lives and to shine our light for Christ - in the interactions we encounter.  There will be Christian believers serving in Orlando in the aftermath of the tragedy there.  The gospel is powerful and quite frankly, necessary to provide hope and redemption in this fallen world.

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Jesus died for all, and there are opportunities all around the world for people to come to know Him.
Romans 10 provides a great inspiring passage about doing the work of missions:
11 For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame."
12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.
13 For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."

Yesterday on The Meeting House, I featured a noted spokesman on behalf of missions, embracing the concept of growth through service.   And, I believe we do have spiritual growth potential as we exercise our faith and love others as an outgrowth of our love for God.  I also featured a report from someone actually on the mission field in the Dominican Republic.  I've been thrilled to present reports from France, Ukraine, and Moldova over the past month.  Thank God for technology!

Routinely, our ministry team at Faith Radio prays for groups of people who are on mission in various parts of the world.  And, summer is a time in which young people are involved in service.

There were two young ladies recently who started a satirical Instagram account called "Barbie Savior" that attracted quite a bit of attention.  It has 104,000 followers, and in the description, it says: "Jesus. Adventures. Africa. Two worlds. One love. Babies. Beauty. Not qualified. Called. 20 years young. It's not about me...but it kind of is."  And, yes, it does feature dolls in various situations on the mission field.

According to a story on the WORLD Magazine website, the two anonymous twenty-something creators—who say they formerly shared Barbie’s “white savior complex”—wanted to spur self-absorbed millennials to think about their motives for volunteering. The creators told the Huffington Post that “It really just started as a joke between us, a way to get some of these things off of our chest,” adding, “It’s hard to pinpoint the irony at times in real life … the wildly self-centered person veiled as the self-sacrificing saint.”

Ron Thomas used to train inexperienced college-age volunteers and interns for Mission to the World (MTW) and said the satire is insightful. He said, “It’s kind of funny and you can laugh at it, but it’s kind of sad because it can be true in some cases,” adding, “It could be a helpful tool in training. Humor is a way of addressing sensitive issues in a non-threatening way.”  He said he doesn't remember training any "Barbie saviors" but he does recognize that even a genuine desire to serve can be sidetracked when missionaries focus more on tweeting than learning from their hosts and team. He advises volunteers to have a humble attitude and not to assume they can fix everything,

A piece on the Christian Today website offers 4 things to be learned from this online creation:

1) There is only one world
2) Documenting your selfless acts all over social media kind of defeats the point
3) It's possible to be more of a hindrance than a help
4) It's important to remind yourself that it's not about you.

Now, the second one bothered me just a bit, because we do see photos from missions trips, which can serve as an effective way to document what God is doing.  The author elaborated on all four points, including that one:

Of course social media is a great way to raise awareness for causes but there comes a point where the intent shifts from doing it to shine a light on the realities faced by some of the world's poorest people to doing it so that people build up a particular idea of what kind of person you are.

So, let's think together about the word, motive.  Do you do what you do in order that others will see you do it and glorify you?  Or do you do what you do so that others will see Jesus in you and glorify Him?

Perhaps you serve because you know it's right, but it's not from the heart...or maybe you're following the crowd - I wouldn't discourage those type of service, because God will perhaps touch your heart and give you a fresh love for His work.   But, ultimately, we have to come to grips with our motivation, and recognize that our reasons why can determine or be a detriment to our ministry.

Barbie Savior is a thought-provoking tool, and you really don't know a lot about the two ladies who are involved.  But, she certainly could use a dose of humility, because she is apparently one to look down at the people she is attempting to serve, rather than bowing before God and submitting herself to others.   We remember that Jesus humbled Himself, giving His life for us, so that we, by giving our lives to Him, can give to others with the right heart.