If a good deed done is not posted on social media, did it really happen? If an act of generosity is not caught on camera and never goes viral, was it a worthwhile gesture? These questions, facetious as they seem, point out something I have observed in my own life: a deep desire to display my goodness to others. There's even a modern term for it: virtue signaling.

In Matthew 6--the center of the Sermon on the Mount--Jesus flips show spirituality on its head: "Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen.... But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing" (6:1,3). Jesus reveals a key characteristic of his narrow path: hiddenness.

To be known and seen is one of our deepest longings. But left to our own devices (pun intended), we get stuck in a never-ending cycle of performative spirituality, where we seek to get from others what can be given only by God.

Jesus' warning to us, then is not just good spirituality; it's good psychology. To be his disciples requires begin a whole person, not merely doing religious things. What often stands in the way is a lack of self-awareness--not knowing our inner selves. How do we overcome this?