Wednesday, July 23, 2014

By: Rebecca Landry 

Watch Me!

Matthew 6:1  "Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven."    

My son is in a stage where he has all kinds of "tricks" that he can perform. I hear "Mom, WATCH!" about a million times a day. I love him to pieces but if I'm going to be honest, 9 out of the 10 things he insists I watch are not very impressive.

Since I am his mother, I feign enthusiasm about him jumping off the ground two inches, swishing juice in his mouth or swiping a paint stick pretending to be a sword fighter.  Although he's a cool little boy, these are not the things I find cool about him.

The things he does when he DOESN'T know I'm watching are often the things that mean the most to me. For example, it's the kindness he shows to his little brother that makes my heart melt. Seeing how gentle he can be (SOMETIMES!) with him, how he shares, how he protects him around other kids. These things bring me joy and make me so proud of him.

This reminds me of what we are told in Matthew about giving, prayer and other righteous acts. It says "when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.... And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners... But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you."

God is simply not impressed by things we do for the approval of people. The things we do when no one is watching are the most important to Him. My challenge to you today is to ask yourself what motivates your daily actions.

Dear Lord, Thank You for knowing my heart. Forgive me for seeking the approval of others and help me to focus on pleasing You.

I thank You, my Jesus, for dying for me. I believe that You are Lord and that God raised You from the grave so that I can have eternal life.

Reflection: Are you more focused on the attention of other people rather than what God thinks about you?