Abby McDonald

Finding the Hope of Christ in a Messy Life

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When You Have Trouble Believing Your Unseen Work Matters

June 28, 2018 by Abby McDonald

I’m pretty sure summer brings out a whole other brand of crazy in me. Something about not having a schedule or routine with these long days of no quiet makes me feel like I’m losing my compass. Not to mention that we’ve decided to have a monsoon season in June here in western Maryland. Neighborhood pool, maybe we’ll see you in July? Maybe?

While making one of those “I just have to get out of the house” errands, I saw another mom of littles at the store. She had that crazy, I’m about to scream air about her. Her kids were pushing the preschooler size grocery carts around the produce section, and she was trying to keep them from running over her feet.

We exchanged a brief look of “I know what you’re feeling. Keep going, mama.” It was just an instant, but it put a smile on my face. There’s something about knowing you’re not alone that makes you able to take the next breath, the next step, isn’t there?

When I climbed into the car, a D.J. on the Christian radio station was saying how everything we do can bring glory to God. Not just the big things others see or the mountaintop experiences. Each and every moment we do something with love, it matters.

Now, can I be honest here? I’ve heard this so many times it’s almost become a cliché. I know the Steven Curtis Chapman song and can recite the lyrics. I know the verse. (Colossians 3:17) But here are times I hear things like this and the cynical side of me says, “Yeah right.”

I don’t look at the pile of dishes sitting in my sink or the sticky floors and think as I’m cleaning, “Jesus is here!”

God, help me. But it’s the truth.

So I asked God to show me. To soften my heart. The tired soul in me wanted evidence, and I felt a lot like the father of the demon-possessed child in Matthew, crying out, “God, help my unbelief!”

You know what? God did help him. He answered him with a miracle. And he helped me too. He’s much more patient and merciful than I deserve.

Here are three ways our unseen lives matter and bring glory to God:

  1. We become like Jesus.

Did you know there are miracles Jesus performed that no one will ever know about? John tells us if every miracle were recorded, the earth could not contain all the books they would fill. (John 21:25) That’s pretty incredible. So, if they’re not recorded, does that mean they didn’t matter? Of course not. It means they were for a specific time. A specific space in history. While we may never know about them, we get to see what mattered to Jesus by the events that were recorded. People mattered. Individuals with unique lives and families mattered. He stopped and noticed the single person, not just the masses.

  1. We get to know him better.

During the summer months, it’s sometimes difficult for me to think a coherent thought, let alone have a meaningful quiet time. But I do get moments, and I can make the moments count. I can whisper prayers to God when I need his strength and ask for his grace to cover me when my nerves are shot. When my toddler throws a tantrum because I won’t give her gummy worms for lunch, I can take a deep breath, walk away and say, “Jesus, help me.” No, I don’t mean this as a joke. I’m dead serious. And you know what? He does. He shows me himself. Sometimes I see him through a brief encounter with another mom at a grocery store and other times it’s through a bear hug from my six-year-old at just the right time, but he’s always there.

  1. Others see, even when we don’t realize it.

I can’t tell you the number of times someone has remarked about my kids’ behavior, my writing, or something else, and I would never have known they noticed me. They said something at just the right time, often on a day I needed a boost of encouragement, and it kept me going. I know you don’t have an audience (except your kids, perhaps) when you’re doing the dishes. You probably don’t have one when you’re putting your kids to bed either. But you know what?

Our unseen work will always affect the work we do for an audience.

The heart and the love we pour into those unseen hours? It will carry into the lives we live in front of others. It will cause a ripple effect, spreading over to other areas. We may not even notice at the time, but it will.

If you’re having trouble believing those unseen hours matter today, will you do me a favor? Come to God and just be honest. I promise he can handle it. He won’t turn away or give you a cold shoulder. He may even show you a little glimpse of what you’ve been missing.

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Filed Under: discouragement, faith, perseverance Tagged With: #spiritualgrowth, #unseen, perseverance

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Comments

  1. Elaine Tomasello says

    June 28, 2018 at 9:57 am

    This is so true. Sometimes the hardest thing to do is stop & say a little prayer to the Lord for help. We tend to think, at least I know I do, that the Lord is not interested in the little things that happen in our day to day lives. But He does! And if we can stop & prayer over the little things, the chances are the bigger things won’t seem so impossible because we know the Lord is always in our corner! Thank you for this reminder today! God bless you!

    • Abby McDonald says

      July 2, 2018 at 4:06 pm

      Those little prayers do wonders and they only take a moment but can feel like they’re impossible. Thank you so much for your encouragement, Elaine. Good to see you here.

  2. Violet Kotsomitis says

    June 28, 2018 at 11:20 am

    Thank you Lord for those times when you show yourself faithful, even when we are faithfuless.
    You are good and your mercies are new every morning. Thank you for the reminder that nothing is too trival for you. You want to meet with us in the mundane cycles of life. For you are in all our circumstances. Thank -you for the reminder to invite you in today.
    Amen

    • Abby McDonald says

      July 2, 2018 at 4:06 pm

      Amen! Thank you, Violet. Good to see you here.

  3. Rebecca Jones says

    June 28, 2018 at 5:30 pm

    He is still the God who sees. And we are being faithful over a little so he can give us more.

    • Abby McDonald says

      July 2, 2018 at 4:07 pm

      Yes, the God who sees. Love that and a name I so often need to remember. Thank you, Becky.

  4. Jason says

    July 9, 2018 at 6:29 am

    God wants more happiness for every single one of us then we know to want for ourselves. Three common things that must never become less then is faith, persistence, and patience. One must fully believe in him or herself for others to believe. The only reason I successfully am able to do such with conviction and 100% certainty is knowing all things are possible in Christ, He created each perfectly imperfect and His desires wish us to live a prosperous, abundant and happy life of purpose and lastly because He dwells inside of each of us, never failing, all seeing, all knowing, the Redeemer, and only because He dwells inside every believer. When God is with you, who may be against you? Noone.

Hi! I'm Abby and I'm so glad you're here. I am a wife and a mom of two very energetic boys and one sweet baby girl. When I'm not chasing them around I love to write about my love for a God who relentlessly pursued me, even during my darkest times. READ MORE...

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The heart and the love we pour into those unseen hours? It will carry into the lives we live in front of others. It will cause a ripple effect, spreading over to other areas. We may not even notice it at the time, but it will.

If you’re having trouble believing those unseen hours matter today, will you do me a favor? Come to God and just be honest. I promise he can handle it. He won’t turn away or give you a cold shoulder. He may even show you a little glimpse of what you’ve been missing.

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