“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of people, to be seen by them. Otherwise, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven."
Matthew 6:1
It has been a tradition since our kiddos were small to give them three gifts for Christmas: two actual gifts and one date night with each parent. I would like to tell you they received three because that is how many presents Jesus received, but the fact of the matter is, it probably has a lot more to do with three being my favorite number.
David was in late elementary school. For a writing project, he had to write a letter to Santa. David had been asked many times at home what he wanted for Christmas, and we keep an ongoing Amazon wish list which he had permission to add to at any time. But, he chose this Santa letter at school to be the first place he communicated his desire for a Zombie Strike Nerf gun. This Santa letter came home just a week before Christmas.
I looked at the presents under the tree. I knew each child had three presents and buying an extra for David would either be unfair or would mean I would need to buy each child an extra present. I resigned myself to the fact that David was going to go without a Zombie Strike.
That’s not to say I felt great about my decision. And, at that point in my life, I looked for validation from others to tell me I wasn’t a terrible mom. I posted David’s Santa letter on Facebook, lamenting at the fact there was no gun under the tree and there was no good way for me to resolve it. What I hoped for was, “It’s okay.” “Sometimes kids get disappointed.”, or “How could you have known?” Deep in my soul what I longed for was, “You’re not a bad mom.”
What I got was so much more. Because that’s the way God is. Three days after my post, an Amazon box arrived in the mail. I knew my shopping was already delivered, so I opened the box unsure of its contents. Inside was a beautiful satin bag with a cinch string. Inside the satin bag was the Zombie Strike Nerf gun from “Santa.” To this day, I have no idea who Santa is. This story has become legend in our home.
So often in life we do good things, but we sign the gift tag. “Hey!! Look at me! I did this great thing!!” And then we sit around expecting God to bless this great thing we’ve done. In Matthew Chapter 6, Jesus talks about the men who make it obvious to others they are fasting to gain the favor of other men. (Apparently showing off isn’t a 20th or 21st century problem.) He says that they have already received their reward. He goes on to say our Heavenly Father wants to reward those who do good in secret.
When was the last time you did the right thing or the loving thing or even the extravagant thing in secret? Honestly, when 10% of the church congregation does 100% of the volunteering, it shows a lot of people aren’t doing anything! I have found, though, that of those who serve, many want to be on stage or open the doors. Very few people want to change the diapers or wash the dishes. Sometimes we have to set our pride aside. Yes, you were probably designed for more than changing diapers. But I can tell you, there is a mom of littles out there who needs you. She is hanging on by a thread, looking forward to Sunday, when she can have one hour to devote to her Lord without a baby in her arms. Will you help her?
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