Just how important IS the intent (motivation) of the heart? Can we do the right thing for all the wrong reasons? Do the wrong thing for the right reasons? Does the means justify the ends? How do we reconcile this apparent irreconcilable position? Is this just another conundrum of life? And where and how do we start? Or do we just throw up our hands in dismay and simply ignore the issue?
A friend of mine like to quote, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” This spoken generally produced a groan from everyone. It doesn’t diminish the accuracy though. And we must be aware of our intentions and not produce an after-the fact… ‘but I intended…’ It really isn’t about the ‘what I intended’, it IS about the result – your behavior or words. That’s why we have to not let ourselves get into the habit of justifying or defending our behavior. We need to be intentional.
One clue, at least for me, is the approach to ‘justify’. I’ve discovered that whenever I get into a need to justify, my attention is in the wrong place. When I need to explain the whys and wherefores of what I just did or said, then the probability increases that my intent was all wrong, regardless of the result. I also believe that too often we look at the ‘result’ rather than the behavior and this approach is rarely growth producing. For me, regardless of the result, the behavior is the focus of good/bad.
Our intention whether by action or spoken is a character point. How we respond is crucial so the answers to the beginning questions are: important? Yes, critical. Right thing-wrong reason? There is no excuse for the wrong reason. Wrong thing-right reason? When/if this occurs then you lucked out but it should never be the basis of determining behavior. Means justify ends? My answer would be ‘never’. But your answer is what is important. How you respond when you find yourself in a position that is on the edge of ‘wrong’ is at issue.
… but, what do you think?
