Senior Living - August 6, 2015

What to do when you feel unappreciated

August 6, 2015

“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 6:3-4

A young man moved away from his rural hometown and went out to search for a better life. After some time, he became rather successful. His parents, however, still had the same house out in the country. And despite his continued offers of financial help, they continued living off the land quite humbly.

So on his mom’s birthday, he decided to pull out all the stops and buy her a $50,000 parrot that had a vocabulary of 4,000 words, could speak in numerous languages, and could sing three operatic arias. The next day, he phoned her and asked, “What do you think of the bird?”

“Think?” she answered surprisingly. “We thought he was pretty good. Maybe I just overcooked him a bit.”

Sometimes, even in our greatest efforts to communicate love to others, acts of kindness can go under-noticed. A friend sends a kind note to another and perhaps never receives a response. Mothers who labor intensively for their husbands and children often never hear a simple “thank you.” And fathers who work day-in and day-out to provide for their families are sometimes never acknowledged for their efforts.

Does that mean we lose heart? Absolutely not. Because while we may feel our kindness is unacknowledged by others, the truth is it’s acknowledged by God. So don’t be discouraged when others don’t notice your acts of love. God sees your love and kindness for others and you can be sure you’ll be rewarded by Him!

Prayer Challenge

Ask God to encourage you with His promises when you feel like your acts of kindness toward others go unnoticed.

Questions for Thought

Think of a time when you tried to do something very nice for someone else and they hardly noticed. How did it make you feel?

How does God’s promise of rewards for your kindness encourage you in times like that?

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