Working Together At HomeSample

Sean pulled up a seat at the breakfast table.

“PANCAKE!” Riley screamed from her highchair. Mom placed a pancake on Riley’s tray. 

“Do you have your baseball permission form?” Mom asked, passing Sean a plate. 

“I guess it’s in my backpack?” Sean answered.

His mother sighed. “I’ll grab it—we’re running late.”

As his mom walked out of the kitchen, his little sister threw her pancake to the ground. “NOT LIKE THAT!” she screamed.

Sean looked at Riley. “What’s wrong? You want syrup on it?”

Riley nodded. Sean served her a new pancake, this time with syrup. She scooped it up quickly. Most of the syrup missed her mouth and poured over her face, hands and stomach. “Oh well,” thought Sean, “At least she’s not wearing clothes.”

Their mother came back into the kitchen and gasped. “What on earth is all over your sister?!”

“Um, maple syrup?” Sean answered.

“Honestly, I expect a little more help from you,” his mother snapped. “I work hard around here. I need you to start working too.” 

Sean got angry. “I’m working all the time!” he growled, gesturing at his sister. “Why don’t you notice the work I do?”

If your work goes unnoticed, do you get angry? Do you wish you got points for all the work you do? Like you lived in a video game and heard a “ka-ching” sound every time you did something good? 

Sadly, our work is not always immediately rewarded. And it can feel frustrating when no one pays attention.

In Matthew 25 Jesus says that God is always paying attention. God cares about the work we do, especially the work that that no one else notices. Jesus says that God will give away “the kingdom” to people who do good work that no one sees. And when you notice the hard work of the people around you, you’re doing an important job for God.

Try this: Parents and kids, imagine the work of your house is a videogame. Every time you do something that should earn points, yell, “KA-CHING!” Try this for 30 minutes, then talk to each other about how it felt.

Prayer: God, thank you for seeing the work I do. Help me notice the work that other people do in my home. Amen.

For More: Play this game of charades to think about what kind of work God is up to.