For His name's sake

Reflecting on Psalm 23: "He restores my soul. He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake."

...Not for me to stun the populace with my prodigious intellect and dazzling personality.

...Not because, well, the rules are the rules, and following them is what makes you a Christian. 

...Not because I can obviously use some self-improvement.

Rather, He restores my soul to right relationship with Him, then directs me to goodness because it is in keeping with His character. He cannot do otherwise. "For the sake of His name"--His name reflects His identity. He demonstrates "being" in a way we will never fully comprehend. 

What are some applications of these lofty statements? Well, I was reflecting today on written poetry and spoken word and how I am delighted when people manage to say much with little (a talent I obviously have yet to achieve). My pleasure in well-crafted phrases is akin to others' pleasure in a well-balanced recipe or a perfectly executed dance routine. When I appreciate or reflect beauty, it's for His name's sake because human capability of recognizing and appreciating beauty is a divine gift. Beauty points us to the goodness of God, to a higher level of existence then our generally tawdry constructions. 

"For His name's sake" also helps me remember that becoming a better person is not the end goal. All of my self-improvement activities--hygiene, exercise, reading, simplifying my environment, eating healthily, saving money, working late--thus hopefully become good habits rather than self-defined moral imperatives. 

Finally, this phrase is a heart compass. When I considered it last night, I wondered, "Gosh, the verse definitely doesn't say, 'He leads me on the paths of righteousness so that I will have peace and joy and all good things.' Is 'for His name's sake' truly enough for me?" Frankly, not always, but I do have the assurance that despite my all-too-frequent distrust and pettiness, God does  not waver. He still does things His way, not mine. So, I will continue my odd habits of staying up until two am reading blogs about human suffering and printing off extra copies of coupons to casually foist on strangers in chain stores and surreptitiously placing my rejected knick knacks on my co-workers' desks in order to snicker at their bemused reactions because, hey, He's got it covered. I'll keep messing up in between spurts of attentive zeal, but He'll be faithful to keep leading me for His name's sake.