Matthew 6: 1-4: Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven…do not sound a trumpet before thee…that (you) may have the glory of men…let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father who sees in secret…shall reward thee openly.
My parents are in their late eighties and, as is typical for that age group, memory problems are becoming more and more prevalent. Case in point: New Year’s Eve.
For the past 23 years, my husband and I have joined my sister and her husband in spending New Year’s Eve playing board games with Mom and Dad. This year, as we were enjoying dessert, my sister asked my parents if they had enjoyed the pot of homemade soup that she had brought them the week before. I could see the hurt in my sister’s eyes when they had trouble recalling that she had even visited them the week prior!
As my family laughed and enjoyed being with one another that evening, my mind wandered back to an incident, in my own life, when I felt like I didn’t get “credit” for something I had done for someone. Like me, maybe you can relate to the frustration of not receiving the recognition you think you should get for achievements, good things done for others in the community, monetary contributions, kindnesses shown to strangers, and so on.
Although it is perhaps disappointing not to receive a simple “thank you”, the Bible tells us that it is God who will one day give each of us rewards for our actions. In fact, He says to do these things, secretly, and He will one day reward them openly.
I am humbled by the words of our Lord, today. I give Thanks to God for his Word and his promise that He sees every action. I seek His forgiveness for my wrong attitude—my selfish attempts, at times, to glorify myself—even in the small things of this life.
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