The secret things
A theme for this season has been the faithfulness needed in seemingly small tasks.
This morning I watched my husband brew coffee with the two-year-old perched on a chair that he had drawn up to the side of the counter. He pushed the button to grind the coffee beans and beamed at completing his new responsibility.
I smiled and pulled open my Bible to the chapter that was marked by the ribbon - Matthew 6 was marked for today’s reading.
As I made my way through the chapter a repeated statement stood out to me - “And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
We are reminded in this chapter to pray quietly, to serve without fanfare and attracting other’s notice, and to live faithfully in a way that doesn’t seek out the notice of others around us.
“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you.”
I circle the bit about the trumpet and scribble a note on the side of my journaling Bible - “Make no post on social media about it.”
It’s the things that are in secret that make up the truest form of our existence and our Father sees the things done in secret places.
He sees the secret things,
the moments of gentle discipline,
the laundry folded and the toilets cleaned.
the whispered prayers in the shower
and over sleepy children before bed.
He sees the secret things,
the careless words of gossip whispered,
the bitterness eating up a small corner of our hearts,
the grudge we hold against another
and the sin you can't seem to let go and forgive.
He sees the secret things,
the tears you shed over a broken mess
the thoughts of worry that you try to put aside,
the weariness you try to mask after a sleepless night
and the sacrifice you make to bring a smile to your toddler's face.
He sees the secret things,
the hurt from a friend that you want to hold tight to,
the thoughts of discontentment robbing you of joy,
the pride that drives you to mask your imperfections,
and the envious eye you give to the friend's newfound success.
He sees the secret things and he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek to be faithful in the secret things that nobody else will ever know about.
He unleashes a great treasure of joy upon those who cultivate a rhythm of keeping the secret places of their heart and minds free of clutter and corrosion.
His eye is after the one who will see that it is the secret things that matter the very most.