The Motives Behind The Mask

What’s really behind what you do and say?

Have you ever been accused by someone saying, “I know why you’re doing that!” Maybe they were right. Maybe they weren’t. But it makes you stop and think, doesn’t it?

The truth is, we’re complex people. There’s usually a “main” reason we do or say something, but there are often layers underneath.

Psychologists call this multi-motivational behavior, meaning we can be driven by several motives at once. Sometimes we act from love, fear, guilt, or pride, all tangled together.

One psychologist described it as mixed motives, where our conscious mind says one thing, but our subconscious quietly pulls the strings toward another goal.

God spoke directly to that when He said, “The human mind is more deceitful than anything else. It is incurable. No one can understand how deceitful it is.” (Jeremiah 17:9 NCV)

We can’t even fully trust our own hearts. That’s a reality.

If I’m being honest, sometimes I give love because I want it back. I might work out because I want to look good, not just because my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. I might buy a nice car because I like comfort, but deep down, maybe I also like people to notice. It’s messy, because I’m messy.

Maybe you’ve felt that too. We serve, give, or encourage, but inside there’s a mix of pure and selfish motives. That doesn’t mean we stop doing good. It just means we keep asking God to clean “the why” behind the what.

Here’s a simple way to see it. Draw a circle, like a pie chart, and label it with something you’re proud of. Maybe it’s “Why I Workout,” “Why I Give,” or “Why I Post on Social Media.”

Now fill in the slices of your pie. One slice might be “to feel healthy,” another “to be noticed,” another “to feel accepted,” and maybe one “because God deserves my best.” Some slices will be small, others large. But seeing it on paper might reveal more than you expect.

Jesus once said, “What people say with their mouths comes from what fills their hearts.” (Matthew 15:18 NCV)

Our words and actions flow straight from the hidden places of our hearts. And if we’re not careful, those places can become more about appearance and approval than truth and love.

When I really think about it, it all circles back to Jesus. He’s the only one whose motives were completely pure. He loved us when there was nothing in it for Him. He gave everything, His life, His pain, His blood, not to gain something but to save someone. Me. You. All of us.

He paid the full price for our mixed motives and selfish hearts. His sacrifice makes us clean and gives us a new one. “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you,” God promised. (Ezekiel 36:26 NCV)

So maybe the better question isn’t just “Why do I do what I do?” but “Who do I want my motives to honor?”

Lord, help me be true to who I really am. Expose my posing postures. Make my motives pure and pleasing to You. In Jesus’ Name I Pray, Amen. ♥️