The other day I threw a party for myself. A pity party. Do you know what I’m talking about? It’s the kind of deal where you sit around moping because nobody appreciates your hard work. You tell yourself that nothing you do for others is ever enough and you might as well just give up.
Well, in the midst of my little party for one, an uninvited guest showed up…in the form of a new thought. I realized that probably everyone feels unappreciated from time to time; that I am not the only person alive whose hard work sometimes goes unnoticed. I put my new theory to the test and took an informal poll of my friends…and, wouldn’t you know it, over 75% of them said they feel unappreciated at least some of the time.
So, what does this mean? I think our feelings of being taken for granted come from 2 things. First of all, we probably aren’t thanking each other enough. When is the last time you told someone that you appreciated them because of something that they did, or just because of who they are? It’s such an easy thing to do… ”Thank You SO Much!”, “I Really Liked it When You ____”, “Good Job”, “I’m so glad to have you as my ____”are just a few words to use. Let’s make a commitment to express our sincere appreciation to someone every day.
However, if you feel unappreciated most or all of the time…it’s probably time to look within. Examine your motivation for doing things for others. Is it because you genuinely want to help, or is it because you’re looking for praise? Are putting too much of the focus on yourself and placing a higher importance on the things that you do than they really deserve? OUCH! Are your toes hurting as bad as mine are right now?
If so…open up your Bible…the whole chapter of 2nd Corinthians 9 contains some great advice on the attitude we ought to have about serving and giving…without expecting anything in return. Listen to these words from Paul, “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
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