Raising Secret Keepers {grace-words-wednesday} guest post!

today i have the pleasure of sharing with you a guest post from my friend, becky crenshaw.  typically we both write {grace words wednesday} posts. but today you are hearing from becky's heart -- and what a sweet heart it is! in this season of THANKSGIVING, we've been writing a lot about the "thanks" part. well, today becky writes about what happens when we step into the "giving" portion. 
thanks + giving = something beautiful. 

i know you'll enjoy her words! remember you can find becky over at her blog: the word of God and a cup of joe.

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Saturday, I grabbed three yard rakes, three children and a large box of lawn bags and to the backyard we went.

Today was the day for the Autumn task of raking leaves.

Brent had gone camping so it was just the boys and me, plugging away one pile at a time, trying hard to rediscover what we once remembered as grass.  My boys grumbled and tried to sneak off, but there were no options for release.  

This Saturday we raked.

I pray for my boys to have a natural bend towards  servant-hood. But most days this prayer is one of faith - the hope of what is unseen.  

But this particular "today-we-rake" day, a glimmer of hope shone through the grumbles of my ten-year old's words.   He peered over the picket fence to the yard of our new-mommy-neighbor,  Mrs. Michelle. With a baby barely three-months-old, their lawn remained covered in leaves.  Yard work being a very low priority amongst so many mommy tasks.

"We should sneak in Mr. Joe and Mrs. Michelle's yard and rake up all of those leaves.  Then when they get home they'll say, 'Whoa!  Look at our yard!  Who did that!?'  And we can just pretend we didn't see a thing.  It will be epic!"

Ahh.  Jesus all but illuminated his precious face.  A moment we as mother's live for!  Oh Dear God, thank you! Something I am doing is right!

But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. Matt 6:3-4

Normally I'm not in the business of sneaking in my neighbor's back yard or encouraging my children to keep secrets, but today I broke both rules.

This day we hop fences and serve ... in secret.

Serving is simple when recognition follows, but giving that is honorable in the sight of the Lord is done with an audience of only One.   Note: these words are typed from a woman who confesses many hand-on-the-hip moments with words like, "I work 'round here all day and rarely does anyone say, 'thank you'  or 'wow look at my clean underwear!' or 'you're the best mom!'  Nope...I'm just chopped liver 'round here....'" 

But in the upsidedown-ness of God's Kingdom, serving in secret reaps the richest reward.  We are created in God's image and therefore we desire adulation, but this deep longing of my heart to stand approved is truly satisfied by my Father who sees what is done in secret. 

He sees the baskets of laundry that rotate in and out of the wash.  He sees the dust bunnies swept from under the couch.  He knows you tweaked that recipe by a few ingredients.  He watched you sew that button on your husband's shirt and He knows how many times you have vacuumed rainbow loom bands off of your carpet. He sees it all.

And this "today-we-rake" Saturday, he knew the longing of my boys' hearts to rake the leaves of a new mom's yard.

This Kingdom truth motivates me as a wife.  The hustle and bustle of three kids leaves little room for gourmet meals

and candle lit dinners.  But a marriage that is {more than fine} is strengthened by our secret service.  It's ok if he doesn't notice you had the oil changed, or organized the garage.  It is ok if it takes him a day to recognize you raked the leaves in the backyard, ahem,  or put thought into making his favorite lunch.  But your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 

Satisfaction runs deep in the heart of a wife who serves for no recognition or human praise, because her reward comes from above.

And last Saturday my boys experienced this adulation as they hurried to rake Mrs. Michelle's leaves, imagining her expression as she pulled the blinds to see the Sunday morning sky.  They received their reward in full from the Father.  Their audience of One.

Lord, let me be one who keeps secrets for Your Glory today.  Let my heart be that of a servant in my marriage and my motherhood.  Thank you that human praise is only skin deep but that Your approval of me is eternal. Thank you for giving me opportunities to serve you.  Let my day be jam-packed with giving done in secret and let me find satisfaction from knowing that you are pleased with your servant.  I give you great thanks knowing you  are the source of strength in my marriage. Father, today, strengthen me, strengthen my marriage by expecting less from others and all from you.  In Jesus Name, Amen.

{Grace Words Wednesday}

*Service   *Satisfaction  *Reward