What are You Doing This For?
The other day, I asked my oldest daughter Nolyn to help me out. I was juggling Major and Harmoni—trying to calm one and get the other ready for bed. I asked Nolyn if she could clean up her brother’s toys, and since it’s not her responsibility, I told her, “If you do this for me, I’ll give you a few dollars.” She graciously helped out, and I paid her.
Fast forward about a week. During breakfast one morning, Major had thrown his scrambled eggs on the floor. Between cleaning him up and changing him, I came back to the kitchen and saw Nolyn cleaning up behind him. I told her, “Thank you,” and assured her she didn’t have to do that. She simply replied, “I just want to help you out.”
But later that same day, she came to me and said, “You forgot to pay me for cleaning up Major’s eggs.”
I was confused, like, “What eggs?” She said, “This morning, I cleaned up Major’s eggs, and you forgot to pay me.” I did see her clean them up, but we hadn’t talked about her getting paid for it. She assumed that because I had rewarded her before, it meant every time she helped out, she’d get paid.
And in that moment, God showed me us.
How often do we approach life with this same mindset? Just because we were perceivably rewarded for something once doesn’t mean that will be the case every time. Sometimes we sow, expecting to receive tenfold. We give, thinking about what we might get back later. We pray so He will bless us. We set our minds on being a good person and strive for holiness so that we can be rewarded. These are all examples of how we can fall into a transactional mindset with God.
But the truth is, He doesn’t owe us anything. Just like I didn’t owe Nolyn anything for cleaning up Major’s eggs. She chose to help, and while I appreciated her willingness, my gratitude didn’t mean I was obligated to reward her every time.
How often do we treat God the same way? How often do we serve, give, or worship with the expectation of a “reward”? How often do we think, God, I’ve been faithful, so now You owe me a blessing, only to feel disappointed when the reward doesn’t come in the way or timing we imagined?
The reality is, there will be times you sow on Sunday and see your tenfold on Monday. But there will also be times you sow and don’t see your tenfold for ten years—or maybe not at all, at least not in the way you expected. There will be times you do the work, the hard work, and no one knows or acknowledges it. There will be times you give your best effort, your love, your service, and it feels like no one notices or says “thank you.”
But those moments aren’t wasted. God sees what no one else sees. He honors what others overlook. The seeds you sow may not produce visible fruit immediately, but they are growing in ways you cannot yet understand. Sometimes, the reward isn’t what you receive—it’s who you become in the process.
That’s why it’s so important to check your heart’s posture. Are you serving out of love and trust, or out of expectation? Are you willing to trust God’s timing and His plan, even when it doesn’t align with your own?
Jesus reminds us in Luke 17:10: “So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’” This verse isn’t about diminishing the value of what we do—it’s about understanding that our service isn’t about earning God’s blessings. His blessings are a gift, not a payment.
As you go about your day, take a moment to reflect. Ask yourself, what am I doing this for? Are your actions rooted in love, or are you seeking something in return? Let’s shift our focus to serve because He’s worthy and because our hearts are aligned with His.
