Two days ago, I threw a birthday party for a king. Nobody saw Him, but He was there. He really enjoyed the results of the time and effort I had put into the party. He loved the gifts and the games. And He laughed with us as we took turns beating the piñata with a special stick. It might have looked like the birthday party was for my nine-year-old son Kenny, but it was for a King.
Yesterday morning, the King’s allergies were bothering Him, and He was sick. I comforted Him and kept Him extra close to my side. I told Him I was sorry He was feeling sick and that I hoped He would get better soon. I prayed for Him. It might have looked like I was tending to my seven-year-old daughter Lindsey, but I was ministering to the King.
By now you’ve figured out that the King I’m referring to is Jesus. And you might think I’m saying merely that Jesus wanted me to serve my children, and I obeyed, and that’s what I mean when I say I served Him. But there’s far more to it than that.
In the 25th chapter of Matthew, Jesus tells a group of people that they ministered to Him in a variety of ways. They question this. “Lord, when did we ever minister to you in prison, or when did we ever see you sick or naked and help you?” they ask. Jesus tells them, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these my brothers, you did for me.”
If that’s true—and since Jesus said it, we know that it is—then the things we do for our children have incredible significance because Jesus takes it personally. So I didn’t just make sure my children ate breakfast—I fed Jesus Himself. You didn’t just help your daughter tie her shoes—you helped Jesus clothe Himself properly.
Everything you and I do as moms in service to our families is done directly to Jesus. It matters, moms. You’re not merely doing the same things you’ve done a thousand times before, you’re ministering directly to the Lord.
True, you don’t see Jesus’ face when you look at the little boy in that high chair. It’s not His chubby cheeks you see smeared with the same spaghetti sauce that’s in his hair and all over the tray. But He’s there.
It might not look like Jesus whom you’re driving to school, to a playdate, or to a doctor’s appointment. But it is. Because Jesus said that when you drive your daughter somewhere she needs to go—when you do something for someone else—you are doing it directly for Him.
Precious mom, do you think of your motherhood this way? That all of your service is directly ministering to the Lord? That in fact, as a mom, you can minister to Him in ways that others cannot?
You have a unique and precious calling—the calling not only to serve your children, but to serve Jesus in some very practical and direct ways. What you do matters, mom, and you matter—far more than you may realize.
What have you done for Jesus today? I bet it’s more than you think.
Matthew 25:40—The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ (NIV; see verses 31-46 for the whole story)