I spent the entire day scrubbing, wiping, sweeping, and organizing. For the first time in months, our house was spotless, and I couldn’t wait for my family to notice.
Instead, they came home, dropped their bags and shoes on the floor, and plopped onto the couch. No one mentioned the sparkling floors, the glistening toilets, or the streak-free mirrors. No one noticed—and I was angry. I had sacrificed my whole day so they could live in a clean, comfortable home. Why didn’t anyone see it? I wanted recognition, and it didn’t seem to be coming. Was all that work in vain?
Finally, I blurted out, “Don’t you realize how clean the house is?”
My husband replied, “Oh, did you clean? It looks good.”
In retrospect, this moment definitely wasn’t as big a deal as I made it. But I wanted to know there was purpose in all of my effort.
Have you ever been there? Have you poured yourself into something, only to feel unseen? Maybe you trained, prepared, or worked tirelessly to bring something to life, only for the results to fall short of what you hoped. Maybe you did an excellent job on an important task, and no one seemed to notice.
Scripture reminds us that because of sin and the brokenness of this world, our work will be accompanied by pain and labor. Even King Solomon, who was full of wisdom and wealth, recognized that all he built would ultimately fade away (Ecclesiastes 2:22).
In this temporary life, we will feel frustration in our work. But we are also promised there is One who will redeem it.
Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people.
—Colossians 3:23
All of our creating, leading, studying, and serving is worth it when it is done for God. Yes, we’ll experience painful situations. We’ll wish for different outcomes. These struggles are part of living in a fallen world (Romans 8:22). But this fallen world is not the end of our story. We will face frustration and fatigue, but God is present with us in it. Whatever the Lord places in front of us today—caring for a sick relative, preparing for a tough meeting, studying for an exam, or tending to our ever-messy homes—we can do it wholeheartedly with His help (Ecclesiastes 9:10).
If we choose to follow Jesus and live out our lives for Him, that means allowing Him to transform not just what we do with our lives but why and how we do it (Philippians 2:13). Not grumbling or complaining. Not with resentment or fear but as people set apart, shining His light in a dark world (vv.14–15).
I’m so grateful for today’s reading, especially on these days when I need a perspective shift. The purpose of our life, our work, and every unseen act of service is simple: Do it unto the Lord, even when no one notices or applauds. Our calling and our purpose are to glorify God.
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63 thoughts on "Fallen and Redeemed Work"
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Amen.
Everything we do should be done for the Lord, not ourselves or those around us. I need to remember when I help others or serve that I’m doing it for the Lord and not man.
Work for the Lord, not for the people of today♡ what a great reminder to help when feeling unseen by others.
The quiet corners of domestic life can easily become a breeding ground for resentment. It’s a subtle trap, baited with offense (bait of satan). Growing up, I watched my mom harbor a chronic resentment toward my dad that I didn’t understand at the time. In my eyes, he hadn’t done anything wrong. What I couldn’t see then was how his lack of acknowledgment for her hard work caused a quiet anger and built-up bitterness that eventually spilled over onto us kids.
Now that I am a wife and mother myself, I finally understand how seductive the trap of self-pity can be. It is so easy to let anger simmer. But GOD. Scripture warns us not to let the sun go down on our anger, we are called to end it, not nurse it! When we slip into resentment, we begin actively recounting the mistakes of others, despairing that our labor is in vain. We forget that love “keeps no record of wrongs.” To believe our efforts don’t matter is a deception that keeps us from doing good. Oh what a trap. Recently, I’ve been inspired by a YouTube channel called Jaime’s Journey. Watching her clean brings so much peace because she does it with genuine joy and calmness, not with the passive aggressive eye rolling I’m sometimes guilty of. It reminded me that we must establish and intentionally sustain the healthy habit of serving out of love, remembering the call to “not grow weary in doing good”. There are so many thankless, invisible jobs around us really. It makes me think of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s beautiful words: “If it falls to your lot to be a street sweeper, sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures. Sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will have to pause and say: ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who swept his job well'”.
Whatever difficult lot has fallen to us today as disciples of Jesus (and no one is immune from hardship), the harsh reality is that humans may never notice. We are often too self-centered. But God and the hosts of heaven do. If a role is invisible, is it still worth doing? Absolutely. Do it anyways. Community and volunteer work are often thankless, but as 2 Corinthians 4:18 reminds us: “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal”.
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What unseen work deserves our attention today? Peace, gratitude, kindness, love, hope, and trust in the Living God who sees what is done in secret and rewards us accordingly. May we shift our focus. The daily chaos is temporary, but the spiritual substance is eternal, and through faith, we are part of that eternal substance. True love does not expect anything back (Luke 6:35, …do good, lend to them (your efforts) without expecting to get anything back). When we expect a certain outcome with our actions, we have shifted from love to a transaction. May God help us to discern our hidden motive. All glory be to Him, He who is able to keep us from stumbling. Be blessed dear sisters.
Mercy….what great, thoughtful wise words you share.❤️
“…Whatever my lot, He is still my God
It is well with my soul” Mercyme song- “It is Well With My Soul!”
I felt convicted by today’s reading that God sees through everything
Praying for you all today
Perfect reading today as I enter back into working from maternity leave! No coincidence, thank you Lord ❤️
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I feel convicted, especially after reading most of your comments. I didn’t realize I found myself griping and complaining about my end of the day task that I am required to do after our students leave. I am to clean up (along with two other co workers) a sensory play area that is a mess and requires labor. By the end of the day I am so tired and do not like cleaning this area. AND I think and have voiced out loud how I feel to these ladies (they feel the same). BUT GOD….my sweet precious God “gently” reminded me today, to do it for HIM! So starting today I am and will.
I needed to read this today! I have been in a pit lately! No no matter how hard I would try, I could not get myself out of it! Just reading the Col 3:23 set my heart right! I just need to keep doing what God calls me to do even if no one sees because God does!
Praying for all! I’m having to go to a meeting so I will come back later and read all the comments!
Grateful to God you’re out of the pit!! ❤️
Yes amen..God pulls us from the pit! All in His great timing! Sometimes we need to sit there a bit to think on some things? Rest? Escape?
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Yay, it’s Wed my favorite day!
Good Morning She’s!
We all want to be seen- Yes of course we do! We want praise, thank you’s and well dones! It’s human nature to want to be appreciated. But when we look at our motives then we begin to separate our “works” and pride from the humble heart that does from humbleness and selflessness.
I grew up the third and last child of the family, yep, the baby! You know their reputation! They are the crazy- free spirits that aren’t the high achievers, more so- lots of fun! So I don’t think I needed lots of praise, I found my own praise. But in the end, it was because I knew I wasn’t as smart and together as my older siblings and could not get good grades as they did. But fortunately my parents didn’t really expect them and didn’t lecture me. They let me be me without much funfair. I think that was good for shaping me. But now we put it into context of doing for God, not ourselves.
This is where Christians still struggle so much! Laying it all down, and doing for Christ. Living each day for Him. Boasting in Him, Glory for Him, the old gone and living in the new! Leadership has to be so careful of not doing for position and accolades, but to lead for God. Most would argue, it’s too hard to do for oneself, but we see preachers and leaders all the time that the pride is palpable.
Many of us know that being wives and moms can be a thankless job. Washing the dishes, dinner every night (I detested this so much!), piles of dirty laundry that even washed never make it to its place in the drawers. The list of homemaker is long and doesn’t get much praise, but yet, it is our greatest ministry! And we need to remind our young moms/Sisters that more! You are raising your kids to love the Lord. What greater honor!
“If we choose to follow Jesus and live out our lives for Him, that means allowing Him to transform not just what we do with our lives but why and how we do it (Philippians 2:13). Not grumbling or complaining. Not with resentment or fear but as people set apart, shining His light in a dark world (vv.14–15).” Amen Abby Flynn!
May my How and Why be always for the Lord! The One that his how and why was for me- the sinner, the lost sheep! Why then would I not be devoted to him because of this sacrifice?! Taking my punishment away, giving me life instead of death! Giving me gardens instead of graves, light instead of darkness….Joy instead of sorrow!! He is my rock and firm foundation, so let me not grumble and be glad in this day! Thank you Jesus, we love you…may it show and be revealed in our lives! And that means obedience! Honoring your boundaries, refusing to live in sin- that is not glorifying you! We confess today, and TURN from our prideful ways! Amen
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“The purpose of our life, our work, and every unseen act of service is simple: Do it unto the Lord, even when no one notices or applauds. Our calling and our purpose are to glorify God.” …How true this is – no matter what we do, from teaching others about Christ, to cleaning toilets – all is to be done for His glory.
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A little confession…our church is small and doesn’t have finances to waste. Since we came here (32 years ago), it has always been volunteers from our church body that have cleaned our church. For many of those years, I cleaned – not because I wanted to, but because I felt obligated to. Every time my turn came around I would grumble and complain and say to myself, “why should I have to clean, I’m the pastors wife, and why should Jeff have to clean – he’s the pastor!”…until one day in conversation with another lady who had been cleaning for years, simply said, “Even when I’m cleaning the toilets, I do it as if I’m doing it for the Lord.” Wow! Conviction!! That little comment changed my whole attitude and from that moment on, I purposed in my heart that I would never again complain about the cleaning but be the best cleaner I could be because I was doing it as unto the Lord!
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So, whether you eat or drink (or clean toilets) do everything to the glory of God.
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@Mari V – praise God for answer to prayer in that He gave Alyssa a room on campus!
@Wendy B – so sorry that your test result was not what you had hoped for. Continued prayers for the upcoming tests and clarity & wisdom for decisions that have to be made concerning further treatments.
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@All who have been praying for Jeff – thank you! He has had two good nights of sleep so far and expect it to continue in answers to our prayers.
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Happy Wednesday sweet She’s!
Thank you Sharon. I was just thanking God this morning for this very answered prayer.
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I’m being judgmental, but I’m thinking about people that grumble and complain about their work vs someone who does not. When you are expecting accolades all the time you are going to be unhappy. When you do your work to the best of your ability because it is a god given talent and the right thing to do, you will be at peace. That includes keeping a clean home. It is very freeing.
Amen!
Thank you, Abby for the reminder to do what we do unto the Lord for His glory.
I struggle with this daily and needed to hear this today because I do want validation for the things I do but have to remember my validation comes from the Lord and not from the people in my life. Praise be to God
Amen!
Amen
Reminded of the phrase, it’s a thankless job but someone has to do it. I can identify with Abby about the lack of recognition at times, not that I really want any “look at me” recognition but feeling more appreciated would be great.
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I need these Colossians verses everyday!
3:23-25 The Message
And don’t just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you’ll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you’re serving is Christ. The sullen servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible. Being a follower of Jesus doesn’t cover up bad work.
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WENDY B ❤️ love your praise report, God is so good! Praying for the Lord’s guidance in evaluating next step options.
DONNA WOLCOTT ❤️ thankful for the strength of your son’s faith and the inspiration he is for you and likely many others. Praying for his continued recovery, and joining you in prayer for all those facing daunting trials.
ALISA ❤️ thank you for your testimony!
KRISTI M ❤️ praying for guidance, no matter the outcome of yesterday’s appt
MARI V ❤️ thankful for Alyssa’s housing reassignment
LINDA IN NC – praying ❤️
GRAMSIESUE ❤️
EMILY BURKE ❤️
MARIA B ❤️
ERICA CHIARELLI “it doesn’t feel light but in comparison …”
so true! I work on reminding myself that it could be countless times worse, and there is surely a purpose in the ongoing pain.
CEE GEE ❤️
MERCY ❤️
“Being a follower of Jesus doesn’t cover up vad work.” Amen ❤️
“Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you’re serving is Christ”- amen. Joining you in prayers.
This is important for me today. I love validation. I have worked really hard on submitting a contract on behalf of a team and did a lot of work coordinating and developing things. It was sent and no response from the team congratulating or thanking me for my work.
Well……God gave me the grace to be a hard worker and it’s just a good reminder that I work to serve God and not man. God knows how hard I worked and I will look to Him for feedback and encouragement. He gives it generously through His word and He may even use others sometimes too.
It’s all good and a good reminder for me to look UP and not around for what I need.
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And many times, people have no clue what it takes to get the outcome.
Yes it can be very frustrating at times – when no one acknowledges what we have done. It is a good reminder to me that we serve the Audience of One, and nothing goes unnoticed by Him.
As some of you have already said, I needed this encouragement and perspective shift. I pray that the scripture, the devotional and the holiday weekend will be the respite I need to refresh and work unto God.
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Amen❤️
Amen
From HRT today, “Work is a gift; work alongside God is a privilege. God doesn’t need us to manage His kingdom, but He has enlisted us to participate. … God doesn’t actually depend on our help. He simply wants us to enjoy His creation and, more than anything, to enjoy simply being with Him.”
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I also could so relate to Abby’s statement “I wanted to know there was purpose in all of my effort.”
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In my flesh, I want human recognition. Why would I not prefer to be satisfied with knowing I have pleased God? Such brokenness!
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Praying for your requests
Oh good comment from HRT.
“work is a gift” ❤️
Thank you all for the wonderful reminder to do it wholeheartedly unto the Lord. Amen!
Amen!
‘Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people’ Col 3:23
This is one of my favorite verses as a reminder that no matter what the Lord sets before me, it is what He has called me to do and so I must do it as serving Him. I am the custodian at our church. It can be a bit of an overlooked, very behind the scenes job ( I am for sure a behind the scenes girl)but I can say for certain, it is a humbling privilege to be the one to ensure that whenever someone enters our building, it is well kept, clean, welcoming and ready. To maintain the physical space of the House of the Lord is an honor. It is always my prayer that as I have been given the opportunity to work in this role that God has provided for me, that I would do so humbly, joyfully and with a grateful heart, not for others to sing my praise, but to glorify the Lord by the work of my hand.
Thank you for your prayers yesterday – a diagnostic appt that was scheduled more than 3 weeks from now, I was able to get moved up to today due to a cancellation – PTL. I had a very helpful phone call with the nurse on my oncolgy team and among a few things, she was able to send a request to an additional doctor to review my lab work which is also a praise. The physiotherapist that oversees my rehab class that I attend on Tuesdays also made an inquiry on my behalf with a colleague regarding another referral I am awaiting. Three things that I didn’t fully know would/could or expected to happen, did happen. Thank you Lord! I just really felt so encouraged yesterday of the ways the Lord is so faithful and moves on our behalf when we pray. Thank you SRT sisters. ❤️
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Praising God with you
Praise God
Thank you Lord for answering prayer. ❤️
The Lord is good and His mercy endures forever.
Amen!
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Thank you. I needed a shift in my mindset as we close the school year out. I have to continue, end of the year or beginning, that I do this out of love and not out of recognition. Sometimes, it’s easy to fall into needing validation… Thank you for the reminder that we do what we do not for the notice of those around us, but for the purpose of glorifying Him. ❤️
Right there with you, Brooke! The end of the year is such a swirl of emotions, and then there’s often a lot of trivial things that have to be done before we can officially leave the building like boxing up your room, etc. I just try to focus on loving my kiddos well, and my fellow staff members, on these last few days. I believe that’s what matters the most to God!
Whatever the Lord places in front of us today—caring for a sick relative, preparing for a tough meeting, studying for an exam, or DEALING with middle schoolers at the end of the year —we can do it wholeheartedly with His help. I need this today. Gods are off the wall at school and getting under my skin lol
I think middle school teacher would be the hardest, most challenging age! How do you do it!!? lol.
The point, to me, feels like when we do it for man’s (or in Tina’s case the toddler’s) praise we will always come away disappointed. But when we do it wholeheartedly unto the Lord, without grumbling or complaining (OUCH!!), we will represent Him well and find satisfaction the world cannot take away. Amen!
Such a great point!
I really needed to shift my perspective about work today. I have been dreading coming to the PhD work as I feel tired and hopeless. Thank you for this x
I don’t know what I was thinking when a friend asked me to stand in for their cook who had been taken poorly! I was to prepare and cook for 20ish kiddies at a nursery until the cook returned. How difficult can that be for a retired chef who has fed royalty, celebrities and the likes and only this gig was only for a couple of weeks!
Three months later, though I love my job, the audience, I tell you, is a little tough to please!
Day in, day out, I follow the menu’s and recipes given, and day in day out the plates come back with food still on them, untouched or partly eaten… disheartening to say the least.. Grrrr!
I love cooking, so I have not given up, but boy the littlies sure know how to deflate a grown up, whether knowingly or not(probably not,in this case)
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I have loved this verse in Colossians, ‘Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people.’ for a while now, years actually, I am always reminded that though a pat on the back for me is good, I work and do as if I were honestly working for the Lord.. In my cooking, in my cleaning, in whatever position I find myself, the Lord is my anchor, my leveller to reach, my champion. which means I work purposefully and honestly..
I do stumble from time to time, but, hand on heart and wholeheartedly i can say, i try not to let the Lord down.
My love language is Acts of service, I love to do for others, and often shy away from praise..
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BUT GOD..
Right..
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It is right to give Him (the)thanks and Praise and Glory.
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Lord, may you be Glorified through my actions..
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AMEN
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It’s Wednesday, wow, already!
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Happy today covered in much love and hugs and prayers ❤️
At least the food comes back on the plates and doesn’t end up on the floor! Deflating for sure, but we have to consider the audience and how fickle they are by nature ❤️ pondering, though, the menus and recipes you were given … wondering if they would let you do a refresh? How many answers might they give if asked what some of their favorite foods are … or are they old enough to speak?
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Sorry, sidetracked for a moment. Keep on keeping on, sister, with your work for the Lord and as you said, working purposefully and honestly. I too love that verse from Colossians. ❤️
It is hard when you labour over the meals with love and hard work. I feel the same way when foods were untouched and I ended up eating the leftover. Burgers and fries go fast with kids nowadays, but homecooked meals not so much.
I have often said I could never work in a school cafeteria as the wasted food would undo me! Not even thinking about the cooks feeling their efforts were wasted. :(
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As Searching commented, keep on keeping on! As for the Lord!!❤️