By Zakiah Senin
Not too long ago, I sat as a panellist at a volunteer conference in Sarawak.
After the session, a group of volunteers gathered around me. Their eyes carried questions that had not yet found answers. I welcomed them — because questions show a hunger for greater understanding, and understanding builds trust. Trust, in turn, strengthens the steps of a volunteer. And volunteerism has been my mission for the past two decades.
They asked me about sincerity. We all think we know what it means: a heart untainted, pure, free from worldly praise or reward. Doing good simply because the intention is to do good. Doing good because God calls us to goodness.
True sincerity, I believe, asks for nothing in return. It leaves the reward to God.
Volunteering, too, is about doing good willingly, without force, without expectations.
Voluntary work is noble. Sincerity is the highest value of the heart. Together, they create a volunteer who serves without condition.
Then came another question — how does this fit in with Abraham Maslow’s theory of human needs? Don’t we all long to be accepted, appreciated, recognised? If someone is truly sincere, are they angels? At that moment, I couldn’t help but smile and laugh softly.
My answer was simple: sincere people are still human. Whether sincere or not, everyone needs to feel accepted and valued. The difference lies in where they place that hope.
Those who struggle with sincerity may hang their hopes on people or on their own agendas. But those who are sincere do not crave returns from others. They surrender everything to God. Isn’t that something extraordinary?
Even after 25 years in the world of volunteering, I confess — sincerity is still something I wrestle with. It is not yet perfected in me.
But I have learnt this: never stop doing good. Train the heart not to expect rewards. Without expectation, there is no pressure.
And when sincerity takes root, the soul comes alive. Every step, every action, becomes more graceful.
Zakiah Senin has been a volunteer with YAYASAN SALAM MALAYSIA, an organisation dedicated to volunteerism in Malaysia and beyond, for the last 30 years