Saturday at our house is cleaning day and all of us pitch in to get it done. The other day, while my eyes were still trying to decide if it was morning or not, my youngest bounced into the kitchen toting the cleaning bucket. Without stopping for breakfast he started his chore of scouring the kitchen sink. And he worked with a smile!
Later, his older brother sprawled on the couch with a book and grumbled when he was reminded of his chores. He wanted to spend his free day (a day with no school) reading and playing—doing things he wanted to do. After all, it was his time.
“Don’t forget what Dad said,” my youngest reminded his brother. “If we get our chores done with good attitudes and get our showers early, we can watch a movie tonight.”
Now, you have to understand, movies are not an everyday occurrence in our home and the TV lives in the closet, so a movie night is a treat for us. The boys saw it as a reward to be looked forward to.
I thought about this as I did my own cleaning chores. My son reminded me of something I often forget about. As Christians, we’re in a similar situation as my kids were that week with their chores. They had things they were responsible for doing, tasks that we had given them to do, just as God has given His children tasks He wants them to do. And like my boys, we have an option for our attitude: a good one or a grudging one.
God has promised His children they will be in Heaven with Him for eternity. What an incredible privilege that is! Just stop and think about it. Heaven! With God! But He also has things He wants His children to do for Him. Have we let our anticipation of Heaven really sink into our hearts so much so that we serve willingly and joyfully, like my youngest son did or are still sprawled on the couch mumbling about our time to do as we please?
When we obey and serve Him with a good attitude, joyfully, out of love, we are rewarded in Heaven. Those things we do grudgingly we aren’t rewarded for. Skim through 1 Corinthians 13 again:
…but do not have love, I am nothing…
…but do not have love, it profits me nothing…
…But now faith, hope, love abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to ever man according to what he has done. ~Revelation 22:12
My son’s attitude really taught me a lot that day. He reminded me how much I have to look forward to by simply being a child of God and also how that anticipation should affect my daily life. I want those rewards God’s promised us. Not for myself but so that I can lay them back at His feet in Heaven.
What a wonderful object lesson about being about our Father's business and not treating the time that we have been given on this earth as ours to do with as we please. This blessed me because as a homeschool mom in a state with no reporting requirements, it would be easy to be slothful about many things, but I am reminded of a couple of scriptures in reading this:
"So teach us to number our days, that we may get us a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12 AMP
"Making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil." Eph. 5:16 AMP
Blessings!
Serving the Lord or performing assigned tasks with a good attitude or a grudging one certainly makes a great difference. Whether we do it well or otherwise is much like God's acceptance of the offerings from Cain or Abel (Genesis 4:6-7). It is all a matter of the heart.
Whatever we do, therefore, we must do it heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord we will receive the reward of the inheritance, for it is the Lord Christ whom we serve (Colossians 3:23-24).
May God bless you and your family exceeding abundantly beyond what you ask or think.
Yes – a lesson I DEFINITELY needed. We must do it with a smile – it pleases Him so!
This is a good reminder to serve God with a cheerful heart.
Thanks for sharing.
Amen! Thank you for this reminder to keep a "happy heart" in all I say and do.
Blessings, andrea
What a great reminder. I'm in the process of canning/preserving this week and other tasks seem to be mounting up. Often, when I begin to be overwhelmed, that is the time when, if I am not careful, my attitude will slip.
Thank you!