The Lord Helps Us Rejoice in Service - What She Said Part 14 - Week 1 Day 3

TODAY'S TREASURE

Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.

Philippians 2:17

Transcript

The Lord Helps Us Rejoice in Service

Marissa Bondurant, Guest Writer

Today’s Treasure

Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.

Philippians 2:17

What do you do when your loved one doesn’t appreciate your care? For me, it can be easy to go one of two ways: grow bitter and resentful of the ministry of caregiving or, secondly, become puffed up with pride that I am persevering to care for someone so difficult and ungrateful.

In Philippians 2:17, the Lord offers us a third way. We can rejoice in the opportunity to pour out our lives for the sake of our loved ones, knowing that our work brings glory to the Lord and may even influence the faith of those observing.

But we can’t take the third route on our own. It will require things that only the Holy Spirit can give us – namely, humility and gratitude. We need the Holy Spirit to grow these within our hearts. If we try to serve out of our own strength, we are going to crash and burn. We can either forget our identity as beloved children of God in need of His tender shepherding, or we can become overwhelmed and resentful of our calling.

So, who are we?

• A complex person made in the image of God with inherent value, God-ordained gifts, and legitimate needs.

• A person whose sin separated her from God but (by God’s grace) whose faith in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus has united her with God and made her His beloved child.

• A person growing into the image of Christ as the Lord does His sanctifying work in her.

• A person capable of experiencing joy even in sorrow because of the hope she has in Christ.

We might need to sit with those definitions of who we are for a bit. When “caregiver” has become our label, it can be easy to forget that we are more than just that role. But the more we dwell on whom God says we are, and the more honest we are about our need for Jesus, the easier it will be to lean into our role as caregivers and find joy in serving our loved ones.

Humility is rightly understanding who we are. It’s not about putting ourselves down and seeing ourselves as less than others. It’s about accepting who God says we are and not pretending we are something else. Having humility will lead us to see ourselves in our caregiver role the way Jesus sees us. It means that we can “pour ourselves out as a drink offering” (Philippians 2:17) for the sake of our loved ones and still not lose sight of our own valid needs and desires.

Along with humility, the Holy Spirit wants to develop grateful hearts in us—a deep appreciation for this calling and Christ’s strength in our weakness. The more we take our needs to Christ, the more God will show us His provision. The more we see God at work, our hearts will be filled with gratitude for all God has done, is doing, and will do.

That gratitude changes our perspective of serving as well. Now, “pouring ourselves out as a drink offering” becomes a source of joy as we see our efforts as a part of God’s bigger story for the redemption of our world. We get a front row seat to God’s character and mission. And we may even get to see those around us come to faith.

Yes, it can be difficult and hurtful when our loved one doesn’t appreciate or understand the ways we are serving them. But by humbly and gratefully gazing at Christ, our loved one's opinion of our service will fade, and we will care more about walking with God in this ministry of caregiving than whether our loved one showers us with appreciation. 

May we be able to rejoice in the opportunity to do this good work, and may joy become an interwoven piece of our complex caregiving stories.

LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT

Make two columns on a piece of paper. On the left side, write down a difficult or hurtful interaction you had with your loved one. On the right side, write down the truth about who God says you are. 

Then, spend time asking God to give you a humble and grateful heart so that you can rejoice in serving your loved one. 

PRAYER

Father God, thank You that my identity comes from who You say I am. Help the opinions of my loved one to fade away as I keep my gaze on You. Give me endurance and joy to serve my loved one regardless of their response. May I treasure Your thoughts above all else today. In Jesus Name. Amen.