Feeling a little bit unappreciated?
And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor.” Matthew 13:57
Day in and day out we are home with our children and often feel like police or referees. We cook and clean and teach and cook and clean and teach. We look forward to and even expect others to respect our efforts. What do we do when someone looks at supper and curls up their nose? What do we do when a child who knows their work refuses to ‘just do it’? How about when the room we just spent an hour cleaning looks like a hurricane hit after only three minutes? Talk about being taken for granted!
Imagine what it would have been like for those around the Lord. They either loved Him, feared Him, were indifferent to Him or were terrified by Him. You would think that it would be so easy to see the Lord’s value. You would think the people knew how much He loved Him by the lengths He went to minister to them.
If, in the very presence of the Messiah, people didn’t recognize His value should we be surprised that a mum’s servant heart is taken for granted? The crux of it is that we serve our families because we love them. We serve them in order to serve Him. Although in the moment it may be difficult to see any appreciation from our families, our Heavenly Father is looking down rejoicing over the love we show to those entrusted to our care.
For every pair of socks I pick up from the front hall, for every dirty dish I wash, for every glob of toothpaste I scrub off the bathroom sink, I need to remember that the Lord entrusted me with the care of this family and that He said very plainly, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me “ Matthew 25:40. Every time I serve my family with a right attitude and loving heart, I am offering up a sacrifice of praise and obedience to the Lord.
Isn’t it wonderful that He chose me, in particular, to serve Him by serving this family?