A month ago this man came in and bought some scratcher lottery tickets. I don't remind the amount, but he won at least $100. He ended up paying for the guy in line's stuff. That was super nice of him I thought.
A few days after that, I heard him talking with my boss. What seemed very off topic to me, he brought up how he won that money and did a good deed as he put it, and bought someones stuff. I was disappointed in that man once I heard him tell my boss that. He did a good deed, and now he's telling everyone else about that good deed so he can get praise for it. That just ruined his good deed for me.
A few weeks after that Sally told me that there was a freezer outside that I needed to bring back into the store (with the help of my dad), before closing time. An hour before I sent Ash home I decided that I wanted to go ahead and try to bring the freezer inside myself. Once I got out there it became obvious that before I brought it in I needed to dumb the water out. This freezer was so gross, it had water in it, meat chucks floating in the water, a few soaked labels, the outside was bad as well, it had dirt everywhere on it. So, I decided instead of moving into the store I would dumb the water out and clean it. It took me forty minutes. I ended up being behind on everything else I normally do, but it was worth it because I made it where Mollie didn't have to do it the next morning.
The next day in the after noon, after Mollie was off work, and before I went into work, I was talking for Mollie. The entire time we were talking I was waiting for her to thank me for cleaning the freezer for her.
I finally I broke down and causally brought the subject up. "I bet you were happy once you saw I washed the freezer for you." She looked confused.
"I didn't even notice." She answered. I pretended like it was no big deal, yet I was really disappointed I did all that work for her not to even notice.
Shortly afterwards, I went into work and Sally was still there. Sally wasn't saying anything about how I had cleaned the freezer either, so once again I brought up the subject.
"Yeah, I cleaned that freezer. I bet that made it a lot easier for you and Mollie." I said, trying to make it sound like I just did a huge favor for them.
"Oh, it still stinks." She said, like she couldn't care less. I was really discouraged after I heard her response. I did all that hard work for nothing. No one even noticed I had done it. What a waste of time, I thought.
Did you see any problems with my story? I know I did. Here's the thing, although I cleaned the freezer to help Mollie out, I also did it for my own personal gain. I wanted them to praise me for putting the extra effort out, I wanted them to recognize what I did. My selfish motive ruined the entire good deed.
Don't get me wrong, if one of your good deeds just so happens to come into the conversation, I think that's completely okay, as long as your motive is pure. You shouldn't be trying to show off, that is not a pure motive. I find it ironic how I felt disappointed with that man in the beginning of the story, yet just a few weeks later I did exactly what he did.
Next time you do a good deed and are tempted to try and get someones attention with your good deeds, remember these bible verses.
Matthew 6:1-4 “Watch
out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for
you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When
you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing
trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts
of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they
will ever get. But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
05-27-2015
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