I AM RAHAB…CHECK YOUR MOTIVES

by Janice Alston

About thirty years ago, I stood in the vestibule of the church meeting place chatting away with a group of associates. We were having a good time, laughing, talking, and making plans to get together in the near future. We were enjoying life. An elderly gentleman walked up, spoke to the group, and before walking away, he nudged my elbow, smiled, and said, “Check Your Motive Sister.”

I was mystified. What on earth was he talking about? Why did he single me out?

A few years later, I understood what he meant and why.

As I matured, I questioned my reasons/motives before making major decisions. I realized that this seasoned soldier overheard my chatter about a job in health care and my reasons at the time for thinking of leaving the corporate world. I was tired of the rat race and ready to change career directions. I believed my call was nursing. However, returning to school at this time was not an option. I would know that this yearning wasn’t just a career change in time. It was My Caregiver’s Call to Minister, and it came to me in several ways. My family needed care; two friends and my brother were HIV and AIDS positive and were slowly shutting down; my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. I began with home healthcare, then private home management.

From this vocation, I wrote my first book, published in 2011.

I am currently revising it, and it will be released soon. Here is an excerpt from my book, Caregiver, My Call To Minister. MOTIVES CHECKED ✔️

My heart desires to enlighten readers who believe they have been called to the extraordinary task of CAREGIVING and or MINISTRY. I pray that anyone who has decided to accept the position of a caregiver, the tremendous job of caregiving, will recognize that this is a ministry and should not be taken lightly. Whether you will be compensated monetarily or not, whether for a family member or persons you will care for in your vocation.

I have observed many Caregivers and Ministers lacking compassion and an inability to keep things spoken confidentially. They were not walking in their true calling; they were on their job, collecting a paycheck and performing their duty. They were miserable and made others feel sad. Eventually, they will question their role and ask themselves, what is wrong with their life? Why does joy elude them? Why hasn’t fulfillment and prosperity not knocked on their door? I will tell you why. They are not where they are supposed to be; they are wearing a mask, perpetrating a fraud, and are in the wrong lane.

If you cannot genuinely care for people with a compassionate spirit, you are probably in the wrong profession as a caregiver and a Minister of the Gospel. Both require the exact attributes.

I have known for a long time that I was ‘Called’ to Minister, called to take care of, nurture, protect, serve and love unconditionally. Preaching became a heartfelt desire for me around the age of forty, but I felt unworthy and inadequate.

I felt like Moses when the Lord called him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt to the promised land. Exodus 4:10-12

Checking your motives before moving forward, especially with major life decisions, is necessary.

If it’s all about money, material things, attention, or causing harm or discontent or ill will, I promise you it will not go well; just Ask Mary Magdalene.

Because I am Rahab Too.