Laboring in Obscurity. And Why That Matters Eternally.

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” —Matthew 6:1-3 NIV

I am not the best at menial tasks. In fact, I avoid them whenever possible. I would rather read or write or take a walk than ever scrub out that spill in the bottom of the fridge. Or clean up a baby’s diaper mess. I know some people take great satisfaction in seeing everything clean and sparkling, and I admire them. Me? I like clean and sparkly. I just would prefer that someone else makes it that way … while I read a book or fix a cup of tea or talk to a friend.

Life, however, is full of menial task moments. Spills happen. Babies spit up and regularly do terrible things in their diapers. Friends experience loss and need help with cleaning and cooking and tidying. After surgery, loved ones require personal care and much attention. The question before all of us is … will we respond to the needs around us and serve with willing hearts or will we look the other way because it’s not the kind of work we like all that much?

Jesus set the bar high when He saw His disciples’ unwashed, dirty, smelly feet and chose to wash them. That story has always stood out to me as a beautiful example of bending low to serve others when no one is watching and no great reward will be presented for doing it. I mean. Their feet were just going to get dirty again, right? But He got up from the table and bent low and washed feet. And He told us to be like Him.

So when there’s a menial job that needs to be done, I remember what He did. Remembering helps. It helped me clean up midnight messes from children with the flu. It helped me serve my father-in-law when he could no longer walk and needed help with just about everything. My Lord and Savior stooped to serve when no one was watching. So should I.

On this Labor Day weekend, I’d like to take a moment to remind all of those who labor in obscurity, lovingly serving the needy, that God sees you …

♦ Dear mother of a child with special needs, He sees your endless days of repetitious service, helping your child eat, toilet, dress, and progress little by little or not at all. He is so pleased when you care for him or her in the middle of a tiring day and in the dark of night.

♦ Dear caregiver, God sees you. When the person for whom you are caring doesn’t notice. When other family members do not step up to help. When you are frazzled and worn to a nub and yet you still exhibit kindness as you fetch a glass of water or wipe a dirty face. God sees and promises to reward you. He, too, cared for the leper, the crippled, the blind, the broken. He is with you in your quiet  laboring.

♦ Dear mission worker, you are seen. When no one else understands the depths of your loneliness, the heartache of work that seems to have no results, the endless and impossible demands of too many needy people and too few resources, God sees. He grieves with you. And He is pleased with your labor on His behalf.

♦ Dear parents of tinies, God sees each diaper, each answer to a question, each repeated direction to a child who never seems to listen, and each interrupted night of sleep. He loves the little children and He watches over them. “He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young” (Isaiah 40:11). What you do is seen. It matters. And it will be rewarded.

I love that God sees what we do in secret. I love that He rewards the smallest acts of service that go unnoticed by the world. So, let’s take heart and remember the God who knelt and washed filthy feet is delighted with us when we do the menial and boring tasks that bless others and bring them relief and comfort. It is worth it. It is always worth it.

Dear Father, help us not to grow weary in doing good. Thank You for Your love for those who need help and for Your delight when one of Your own serves them. Make us more like You, willing to stoop and clean and mend and serve in obscurity. May those we serve see Your love shining out of our eyes. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

You are loved,
Sharon

Sweet Selah Ministries

Vision
To inspire a movement away from the belief that “busy is better”
and toward the truth of God’s Word that stillness and knowing
Him matter most—and will be reflected in more effective work and service

 Mission
To offer biblical resources and retreats that help women pause (Selah)
and love God more deeply as they know Him more intimately (Sweet)

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