In the past 4 months our family calendar has been transformed. No longer a record of activities, it is now a record of good deeds—all the meals that have been brought, household help, playdates for the boys, and caregivers for all of us.
About 6 weeks ago, my mom said to me, “You’re beyond payback, you know.” That struck me as odd, the thought of trying to pay back all these good deeds. And yet, in truth, it’s how I think. One good turn deserves another. If someone invites us over, we invite them over. Reciprocity is part of friendship, right?
But now the good deeds have snowballed, and there’s no possible way we can return the favors. (I can barely get all the thank you notes written.) This week, however, it dawned on me that these acts of kindness are not all about us. I knew this as a giver, but I’m still learning it as a receiver. True, we enjoy the benefit of them, but they are also an act of worship, a cup of cold water given in Jesus’ name, an act that is more about Him than about us.
Thank you, dear friends, for gallons of cold water. Clean floors, clean clothes, clean diapers…fervent prayers, fresh bread, hot meals…for taking the boys on neighborhood walks, keeping milk in our fridge, and blessing us with an abundance of pink. We worship the Giver of all those good gifts with you and thank Him daily for you.