“And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” – Revelation 22:12
My first house-sitting job came up when some acquaintances of mine were going to be gone for a week or two and asked me to stay at their house and take care of their pets. I was young and single and had no idea what I was in for, so I agreed.
After “moving in,” I noticed right away that the house was not clean. I grumbled about it, but set to work getting it in good order. Faithfully, though not without complaint, I did the duties they had asked of me. Then, when the homeowners returned, it seemed they breezed in and I did a fade-away. Over the next few days I saw them briefly and cannot remember that I even got a “thank you” from them. A bit miffed, I grumbled about that, too. I felt I had done so much for them, and received very little in return. Well, that is not the end of the story!
Apparently these dear people must have been waiting for a convenient time, or perhaps their next payday, for it was not too much later that they did show their appreciation with a very nice-sized gift card to a great clothing store. I was amazed! Here I had been grumbling and thinking they did not even notice or appreciate my efforts. How I wished that I had not grumbled about my work, or lack of reward. I felt very foolish!
When we work for Jesus, we want to have a good attitude, and not grumble. Sometimes it may seem that our efforts go unnoticed and that we never get a “thank you.” That may be true in this life—we may never get a “thank you” or a reward for our efforts. However, our reward will be greater if we do our part wholeheartedly and without complaint. When we get to Heaven, our reward will be so much greater than any effort we ever made. And no effort ever goes unnoticed by our heavenly Father!