Appreciated Or Not

Appreciated or Not

The Ideal Woman

Read: Proverbs 31:28-30

Keri stood at the kitchen sink, surveying the damage. Why do I even bother? She’d wanted only to make the school holiday special for the boys. Each had chosen a friend to invite for a sleepover, and also a favorite food to have for dinner. What she had planned and worked on for two days had disappeared within minutes. Now the boys were in the basement playing video games, and her husband was in his home office filing reports. Keri had been left to face the mess alone without a word of thanks.

The ideal woman in Proverbs 31 gets more appreciation from her family than many wives and mothers do. Her children stand up and bless her for her hard work. Her husband praises her and says that she surpasses all other virtuous and capable women. This woman must feel warmed and honored by her family’s compliments. Love for her family and a desire to honor God are what motivate her to be the best that she can be, but she must be glad that her efforts are appreciated.

Few women receive such recognition. Instead of standing up and calling us blessed, our children may just sit down and ask what’s for dinner. Our husbands are usually oblivious to all that we do behind the scenes. Our employers and coworkers may have no idea how much extra effort we put in on that last project. Even when others don’t appreciate us, God sees everything we do and will acknowledge our efforts someday. The ideal situation would be for others to thank us for our hard work, but that won’t always happen. When we’re feeling unappreciated, we can look forward to God’s promised rewards.

The Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do.

Ephesians 6:8