But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then, your Father, who sees what is done is secret, will reward you.
But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Matthew 6: 3-4, 6, 17-18
There is a certain member of my family who subscribes to the motto “Never let them see you sweat.” I have noticed that the best way to determine if something is important to him is to see if he jokes about it or acts like he doesn’t care. The more he jokes or acts disinterested, the more important the thing is to him. It has led to some misunderstandings, but life has taught him that people take advantage of your vulnerabilities and so, it’s better to not show any weakness. What is your motto? Never let them see you…?
Whenever I’ve read these Bible verses in the past, I have always concentrated on the first half, the part that tells us what we should not do. Don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Close the door when you pray so nobody will see you. Don’t let anyone know if you’re fasting. Again, the “never let them see you… ” phrase comes to mind. Is God really telling us not to let us anyone see us give to those in need, or pray, or fast? There are times He may actually be telling us that, but more often, I think, He wants us to examine our hearts. Are we doing these things to gain respect from other people, or are we doing them to honor God? Now when I hear these verses, I concentrate more on the second half. I would much rather my good deeds be invisible to people and visible to God than to receive rewards from other people. I want to do good to please God.
Lord, help us to seek our worth in you alone, and not in the empty praise of other people. When we give to others, let it be done out of love for you, and not for our own popularity. When we pray, let it be done because we want to express our thoughts to you, and not for hearing the sound of our polished words. When we fast, let it be done to grow closer to you, and not to impress other people. We love you, Lord, and we want our good deeds to please only you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
