I’d Do It For God, but Not For You?
In Emilie Barnes book More Hours in My Day I read the story of a woman who was upset because her husband wanted her to pack his lunch everyday. She didn’t want to do it. Then Emilie asked her, “If the Lord were to ask you to pack Him a lunch, would you do it?”
Her response was, “Well, of course I would!”
So Emilie told her friend, “Every morning you are going to pack a nice lunch for God, and then send it to work with your husband…”
The lady, with God in mind, began packing a lunch every day and sending it to work with her husband. She surprised herself after a few days when she began adding a love note to her husband in each lunch she packed.
She was more surprised when her husband became much warmer towards her, began thanking her, and even began attending church with her without any prompting on her part.
Getting him to attend church was something she’d tried unsuccessfully to get him to do for a long time in the past. In fact, she’d given up.
Then she was blown away when this seemingly unromantic man suggested to her that they go to the Valentine’s Day dinner and dance at her church!
She experienced first hand that by giving and putting her husband’s needs before her own, her husband was also learning and willing to give and put her needs before his own.
There are things we’d do for a famous singer or a movie star or a sports hero, for the Queen of England or the president or a boss — things that we won’t do for a family member, a friend, an acquaintance, or a child.
Too often we have glorious plans to save the world, eliminate hunger, repair the government, but can’t muster a good deed for our spouse, an in-law, or an annoying neighbor.
Though we aim high, we must remember to start with the little things. How can someone find the cure for cancer without bothering to look into a microscope? How can we win a nation, when we don’t take the time to win the hearts of our children?
We don’t stop to do the little things because we think ‘little things’ are of no important consequence. We think we’d give our life to save our neighbor, but we’re unwilling to stop and spend a few minutes saying ‘Hi’ to that same neighbor.
When you feel you don’t want to do a kind act, a little act of seeming no importance, then just think, “Would I do it for God?” The go ahead and do it. Do it for God!
(Psst… No one but God will know that you did it for God!)
Matthew 25:40 “And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’ “
