There are many things not as they should be, and many people who hurt. This arouses the warrior in us, as we’ve been called to be White Knights – fighting against evil and protecting others from harm. But this noble impulse often has a shadow side – a hidden motivation of needing to be needed. And rather than freely offering our strength we become secretly obsessed with needing to find someone to save.
To be sure, we’ve been given strength to protect and bless the lives of others. And, like the Good Samaritan, we’re ready to answer this call whenever the need arises.
But, all too often we’re like the fireman who sets fires to get the glory of putting them out. While we might not intentionally put people in harm’s way, there’s a sense in which we’re drawn to needy people simply to stroke our own ego. The focus is less on actually caring for them and more about our own image; we want to be seen as the White Knight who saves the day, and their plight just happens to be the means to this end.
We don’t have to give up our true desires to serve others, but we must regularly consider the heart motivations behind our help. Is pride, or love, our primary motivator?
It’s true our help might still bless others even when our motivations were less than honorable. But sin is also knocking at the door when our service is not grounded first in love. And we might soon start entertaining and justifying illicit relationships in the naming of helping. Our noble strength then becomes perverted and brings darkness and death instead of goodness and life.
In the end, be the White Knight who brings life and light to others. And regularly check your heart to ensure dark motivations are not hiding in the shadows.
