Levi has loved to work ever since he could walk. I credit my husband's genetics with this desire. He also has not learned the fine art of sitting still. Of course, I remember reading a book in which the author commented on the fact that a woman reclining and resting is a beautiful sight, whereas a man reclining and resting is not nearly as attractive and met with at least a mental, "What are you doing? Get up, and get to work... mow a lawn or something." I am blessed with a hard working man as well as children - at least some of whom seem to enjoy working also.
This evening in particular, I got to work pulling weeds and threw the ones I had pulled up onto the porch. I planned to collect them later to put them into the lawn cart to cart down to the burn pile. Levi immediately began to collect them for me and put them into the lawn cart. I pulled the cart closer to the porch, and he and Violet moved all the weeds from the porch into the lawn cart. He began to request the bigger weeds, and said I should give her the smaller weeds. So as I started to do that, they both began to rush back over to me to try to obtain the bigger weeds to carry to the cart. After awhile of fighting over the weed size, she gave up and sat in the mud pile to eat some dirt and a few grubs. (I can't help but suspect that may be what she'd been in it for from the beginning.)
Levi and I split a pair of lawn gloves so we could dig up some thistles and carry them to the cart. He was very meticulous about making sure that he grabbed the "pokey" weeds with the gloved hand. This was further evidence to me that he was his father's son. As I am a little scatter-brained when it comes to things like that. With every weed I dug up and tossed toward him, he congratulated me, "Way to go, mom! You're doing a great job, you know?" Being a prisoner of politeness myself, I had to reply each time with a, "Thank you, Levi. You're doing a great job too." It was nice to see him being so helpful and hear him being so encouraging. I kept wondering, "Where have I gone right?" I'm not sure it's me at all or just something inborn.
This weeding reminded me of last summer when we were doing almost the identical weeding project in the front. Sadie, Claire, and Levi were helping, and Violet was sitting in her little rocking chair on the porch watching us. I don't know if I'll ever forget that time. Claire is my less-motivated worker. She isn't interested in helping keep things neat or tidy. She isn't particularly interested in a clean room or work space, and some people have come right out and told me that they have never once seen her with a clean face. (I've found she is somewhat like Pigpen in that she generates her own cloud of dust.) Anyway, it was a hot, summer evening, and we were all sweating as we pulled weeds. Levi was working hard and loving it. Sadie was sweeping the dirt clods off the sidewalk and porch, and Claire was... well, we weren't sure what Claire was doing. She was looking for worms and grubs, giving certain weeds a smell test, and twirling them around her head. I kept trying to encourage the kids to keep working hard.
Claire said, "I have to go to the bathroom." This is a move that Claire is utterly famous for... Her bladder has impeccable timing - when cold vegetables are languishing on a dinner plate, during pastor's sermon (if we're sitting near the front and inside of a row), a school lesson is dragging on, mom is waxing eloquent, or during chores - her bladder can always be counted on for a spasm or two. I raised an eyebrow and said, "Well, hurry up. We'll save some work for you." She took off toward the bathroom. After about 10 minutes, I began to wonder if she had fallen in. She came back out shortly thereafter and said, "Oh, I forgot my shoes inside." Then she took off again for the air conditioned house. She took a whole 5 minutes more (at least) to find her shoes. When she returned, she found me complimenting the others on their hard work. I said something to the effect of, "Levi, you are doing a great job. You might deserve the hard worker award." Now, there is no hard worker award at our house. I'm not even sure what prompted me to say it. I just figured it'd be something like a lollipop. He was barely 2. That would work. I saw Claire stop dead in her tracks at the words "hard worker award". The performance I witnessed thereafter was worth the $7.50 I paid to get in. It started with Claire fighting the working children for their jobs. She was ripping weeds from Levi's hands and trying to find another broom for sweeping. After about 2 minutes of this, she walked behind me and said, not directly to me, "Whew! I am sweating!" Then, about a minute later, there was a, "I'm working so hard I'm already getting tired." What a doll! It was priceless.
The happy ending is that all the kids got a lollipop and a cold drink for helping mom. An interesting thing I learned about all the kids that day is that some people are just wired to work out of duty (Sadie) or compulsion/drive (Levi), but others need there to be something in it for them - some type of reward (Claire). She responds very positively to a reward system. I was doing it because I enjoy (when I have the chance) to be outside and to work on a garden. It meets a need in me.
This makes me wonder if people respond to God in a similar way. Some attend church out of a sense of duty. Some are compelled or driven to it. Others do it for what they perceive might be in it for them. Still others do it out of love, because they are blessed by it, and it awakens something inside of them.
Jesus Himself spoke of "rewards" in heaven throughout the gospels. Matthew 5:11-13 - the Beatitudes - He speaks of rewarding those who are persecuted in this life. In Matthew 6:1-19, Jesus speaks of giving, fasting, and praying and that our acts of right should be done in private - not in front of everyone - because God sees what we do without our telling Him (or everyone else), and He will be faithful to reward us for what we do in secret. There are several other references about the rewards that some will receive from God - making it clear that He is not socialistic in His reward system (like I was) - that they are not doled out equally to everyone. But Matthew 6 is worth a second look. We are best off to hide our good deeds, if our purpose is to gain man's praise for them. For one thing, man's praise is fickle... coming and going with changing moods and changing standards. God never intended us to work to please other people. With man, well pleased is a moving target... never so with God. He is the only One trustworthy with our hearts, because He knows what's in them - the true motives - and is, therefore, the only audience that counts.
Claire and I have a lot to learn about good deeds done in secret.
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