What’s your motivation? God or your ego?

Imagine you are carrying on with your day, it’s a typical Tuesday afternoon and perhaps you are walking to catch a train or headed to your car when a black sedan pulls up alongside you and stops. Three secret service agents approach you and inform you that the president himself would like to speak to you. Then you find yourself being whisked away in the posh sedan. Upon your arrival, the President greets you warmly, like an old friend. He tells you that he really needs to hear your ideas, you’re the only person he trusts and furthermore, he knows beyond doubt, that you are going to be elected to succeed him as President. He gives you a secure phone, so he can call you when he needs your advice or just wants to chat and insists that you dine with him several evenings a week and so that you can be close to him he prepares a guest room for you!

The first few days you would doubtlessly feel overwhelmed and confounded, but very quickly you would accept your new role and position. Would you allow all these new changes in your circumstances to change you?

Would you still be friends with your current friends?

Would you remain married to your current spouse?

Would you still go to your job?

Would you still value the same ideals?

When someone asked you who you are would you say (current job position) or Future President?

According to Kabbalah, our choices are either guided by God or our Ego. We all have two voices that beckon us to be either beings of sharing, or to act from the desire to receive for the self alone.

We’ve all heard tales of the aspiring actress or actor who lands their first big role, becomes a movie star and completely changes. What happened? She got fame, and probably money, the status of a movie star and suddenly she’s a different person, behaving differently, disregarding or disrespecting people she considers to be beneath her.

This happens to all of us, usually not to this extreme, but sometimes coming into money, getting a promotion at work or even buying a new car can cause changes in our consciousness. There is an old story about how even among the street sweepers there is always one who has an ego about the fact that he has the best broom! We are all prone to experience an elevation in our station and begin to change our behavior to match our newly acquired status. However, external change is just a title, like movie star, future president, wealthy, famous — it’s not real change. We shouldn’t change from external catalysts, when we do this we are disconnecting from the Light of the Creator. But how do we keep from changing – particularly when we are awarded a great honor or experience a truly life-changing event? We have to be aware of what our motivations are. Are we listening to the voice of our ego or the voice of the Creator?

I love this story about a young shepherd boy…

 

One day a young shepherd boy was called in from the fields by his father.  The young boy, David was chosen by God and anointed by Samuel to replace Saul as King of Israel. Afterwards, David went back into the fields and cared for his flock.

Some time later David was asked to play his lyre for King Saul. Saul found that David’s playing was the only thing that would soothe his depression and so he frequently called David to play for him. When David was called to the King he would go and when he was not he would go back to his flock in the fields. David was now the King’s favorite and the anointed future King chosen by God himself. Things had changed! Yet, David still tended his sheep and still considered himself a shepherd.

Because of David’s ability to not let his position change him, he was able to maintain and grow his connection to the Creator. Conversely, every time we allow ourselves to behave differently because of even the smallest blessing, we are creating layers between us and the Light of the Creator.

 

THOUGHT INTO ACTION

Think about the choices that you make this week. Are you behaving with a motivation to share or with a selfish desire to receive? Look at the changes in your life. How many do you perceive as being true and how many are a consequence of external factors?