The Heart of a Mother (2020)
1 Samuel 1-2
The mothers in my life have had such a huge impact on me that it’s hard for me to talk about without getting emotional. I cannot wade into an inch of the ocean that my own mother has been in my life, not to mention the two incredible grandmothers God gave me.
And I cannot begin to tell you all that my wife (as a mother) has done to make our family what it is today. My kids and I grew up on the never-ending sacrifice and care of my wife, and my daughters (and daughter-in-law) as mothers have all displayed the same incredible sacrifice for their own families and still for me! Through some extreme difficulty for each of them, my daughters and daughter-in-law have all become tremendous conduits of God’s sacrificial love, which is the unique mark of a godly mother.
And especially in the difficult situation of Covid-19 that we find ourselves in today, the already massive burden that mothers carry has been substantially increased as mothers are tasked with the emotional and physical care of all those around them freaking out at some point and in some way during this crazy Covid time. From quarantine and home-schooling to husbands who can’t express the stress they’re feeling and all the other pressures this year, mothers need ten times the thanks and love for all they do.
And I do realize Mother’s Day can be a double-edged sword. Maybe your mother has passed away, or you have regrets as a mother, or you want to be a mother and can’t be. To all those who struggle with the “other side” of Mother’s Day, I’m sorry.
God knows – he knows right where you’re at. He knows your heart, and he loves you, un-imaginably. Please don’t fall victim to the attacks of the enemy who would try to capitalize on the emotional pain that can be part of this day for some people. Stand against those attacks of the enemy. Stand firm in your faith and stand firm in the unconditional love God has for you.
Contrary to our culture’s determined destruction of God’s plan, the truth is God fundamentally made men and women very differently. God created women (and especially mothers), so unique, so incredibly gifted and so sacrificially loving that God literally “saved them ‘till last” to create them.
When God made woman in Genesis 2:18, she was created as the answer to the problem with man, and that is still why God creates a woman! And a hundred times over for mothers.
The Lord was at the end of the creation process. He was preparing the final missing piece, and an angel came to the Lord and said, “Why are you spending so much time on this final piece of your creation?”
And the Lord answered, “Well, here are just a few of the requirements she has to have…”
“She has to be able to constantly do ten things at once and never wear out. She has to run on coffee and kid’s leftovers and constantly work like she’s three people. She has to have a kiss that can cure anything from a scraped knee to a broken heart.
“She also has to have three pairs of eyes. One pair to see through closed doors and closed hearts. One pair in the back of the head. One pair constantly looking for a child that needs her love and understanding.
“She has to heal herself when she is sick while she’s continuing to take care of her family, while doing homework (or home-schooling), along with all her own chores, all while carrying the emotional burden of everyone in her family. She has to be equal amounts of gentle and tough to accomplish all she’s called to.”
Then, the angel noticed the first woman was crying, and he asked the Lord about it. The Lord responded, “That’s part of her greatest strength.” Her tears will be her way of expressing her joy and her sorrow, her disappointment, and her pain and her loneliness and her grief, all while continuing to do what I’ve made her to do.
The angel was impressed, “Lord, you have truly thought of everything for this one.” The Lord simply replied, “It is because of all that will be required of her.”
That is the Heart of a Mother.
Turn in your Bibles to 1 Samuel. In the time just before the Kings of Israel, God made Samuel Israel’s last judge and first “formal prophet.” It was Samuel that God used to choose both of Israel’s first two Kings (Saul and David). Samuel has a huge place in the history of the People of God, and fortunately, God has given us a small window into the heart of Samuel’s mother.
God used the determination, the perseverance, and the heart of Samuel’s mother so that God could use her son Samuel to raise up the nation of Israel, and in this little window of Hannah’s life, we see clearly the heart of a Godly mother. Our window opens in 1 Samuel 1:1-2.
1 Samuel 1:1-2 (NLT)
1 There was a man named Elkanah who lived in Ramah . . .
2 Elkanah had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah did not.
So, Hannah’s story begins with a huge hole in her heart. It is so hard on women who desire so badly to be mothers and cannot be. Pam and I experienced that for seven years before the Lord gave us the first of our three children, and many of you have experienced this same hole in your heart.
But, hopefully, none of you have experienced a second wife in the house who constantly taunted you about it on top of your grief. That is what Hannah experienced.
1 Samuel 1:3-5 (NLT)
3 Each year Elkanah would travel to Shiloh to worship and sacrifice to the Lord of Heaven’s Armies at the Tabernacle . . .
4 On the days Elkanah presented his sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to Peninnah and each of her children.
5 And though he loved Hannah, he would give her only one choice portion because the Lord had given her no children.
The word “choice portion” means the best portion, indicating Elkanah’s love for Hannah. But still, she could only have one portion because she had no children, and Peninnah (the “other wife”) made sure Hannah felt the full sting of that.
1 Samuel 1:6 (NLT)
6 So Peninnah would taunt Hannah and make fun of her because the Lord had kept her from having children.
In that time, you were considered “cursed by God” if you were not able to have children, and I know women today who struggle with that same feeling.
And so, for Hannah, this was like brutal torture year after year.
1 Samuel 1:7 (NLT)
7 year after year it was the same—Peninnah would taunt Hannah as they went to the Tabernacle. Each time, Hannah would be reduced to tears and would not even eat.
This is the heart of a mother before she has any children. Peninnah (the “blessed wife”) would taunt Hannah and make fun of her. But Hannah was too broken to fight; instead, she would be reduced to tears, not even able to eat.
But, never fear. The husband always knows exactly what to do, right? And so, hubby rides in on the white horse to fix everything.
1 Samuel 1:8 (NLT)
8 “Why are you crying, Hannah?” Elkanah would ask. “Why aren’t you eating? Why be downhearted just because you have no children? You have me - isn’t that better than having ten sons?”
You know men; sometimes it’s just best to keep your mouth shut – that way, if you’re thinking about something stupid, at least no one knows about it. You have me isn’t that better than having ten sons . . . ? Year after year, it was just getting too much for Hannah. And so, we read in 1 Samuel 1:9-11,
1 Samuel 1:9-11 (NLT)
9 Once after a sacrificial meal at Shiloh, Hannah got up and went to pray. Eli the priest was sitting at his customary place beside the entrance of the Tabernacle.
10 Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord.
11 And she made this vow: “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the Lord, his hair will never be cut.”
That, right there, is the heart of a godly mother. Hannah is dying to have a child, and in deep anguish, she cries out to God. O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will hear my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours his entire life – and as a SIGN - his hair will never be cut.” (Nazarite vow). That is how a Mother’s heart works.
Lord, more than anything else in the world, I want so badly to have a child, and if you will answer my greatest prayer, I will give that child back to you!
And maybe you would say, “Well, that doesn’t make a lot of sense.” If she wants a son so badly, why give him back to the Lord? Because the heart of a mother is the heart of self-sacrifice, and that is what you see in Hannah right here.
And so, Hannah prays this deep, heartfelt prayer, and the Priest (Eli) hears her. And after a short interaction, Eli the Priest says to Hannah, “Go in peace, may God GRANT your request,” and Hannah leaves the Tabernacle greatly encouraged. So, we read in 1 Samuel 1:19-20,
1 Samuel 1:19-20 (NLT)
19 The entire family got up early the next morning and went to worship the Lord once more. Then they returned home to Ramah. When Elkanah slept with Hannah, the Lord remembered her plea,
20 and in due time she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, “I asked the Lord for him.”
After all that, after all the torment from the “other wife,” after all the crying out to God and carrying the grief, after all that – in due time- God gave Hannah a son.
And now, she begins pouring her life into her son. He becomes her everything. In fact, during those crucial years, Hannah didn’t even go with the family to worship at the Tabernacle in Shiloh.
1 Samuel 1:21-22 (NLT)
21 The next year Elkanah and his family went on their annual trip to offer a sacrifice to the Lord and to keep his vow.
22 But Hannah did not go. She told her husband, “Wait until the boy is weaned. Then I will take him to the Tabernacle and leave him there with the Lord permanently.”
When Samuel is young, Hannah says to her husband, I am going to pour my life into my son for these years. I am going to do what is best – for him – without regard to myself, and then, I will release him to what God has for him. THAT is the heart of a mother.
I experienced that heart with my own mother, and it most likely saved my life, and I am experiencing that now with our daughters and daughter-in-law. God made mothers to do what is best for their children at substantial personal sacrifice, always knowing that they will release them all too soon into what God has for them. THAT is the heart of a godly mother.
And then, we see the father’s insightful wisdom in 1 Samuel 1:23.
1 Samuel 1:23 (NLT)
23 “Whatever you think is best,” Elkanah agreed. “Stay here for now, and may the Lord help you keep your promise.” So she stayed home and nursed the boy until he was weaned.
Knowing how badly Hannah had prayed and struggled to have this child and knowing what was coming, Hannah poured her life into her son until it was time to release him.
1 Samuel 1:24-28 (NLT)
24 When the child was weaned, Hannah took him to the Tabernacle in Shiloh. They brought along a three-year-old bull for the sacrifice and a basket of flour and some wine.
25 After sacrificing the bull, they brought the boy to Eli.
26 “Sir, do you remember me?” Hannah asked. “I am the very woman who stood here several years ago praying to the Lord.
27 I asked the Lord to give me this boy, and he has granted my request.
28 Now I am giving him to the Lord, and he will belong to the Lord his whole life.” And they worshiped the Lord there.
THAT is the heart of a mother. Remember how I was dying to have a child? Well, the Lord was gracious and gave me a son, and so, I’ve been pouring my life into him every day. He is my absolute everything, and now I am giving him to the Lord for his entire life because that was my promise, and that is what is best for him.
And you know that Hannah is again dying inside over her child. First, she was dying inside because she couldn’t have a child. Now, she is dying inside because it is time to release her son – to God’s will. That is what being a godly mother is about.
And notice the end of verse 28, And they worshiped the Lord there. I guarantee you, for Hannah, it was worship through tears. It was tears of joy that she was able to pour her life into her son, and it was tears of pain to release him to God’s will. And in the next ten verses of 1 Samuel Chapter 2, Hannah’s worship is poured out to the Lord. In some ways, this is very similar to the Song of Praise poured out by Mary (Mother of Jesus) in Luke Chapter 1.
Guys, a life marked by self-sacrifice and praise to God, is what being a godly mother is all about.
Picking it up in 1 Samuel 2:11.
1 Samuel 2:11 (NLT)
11 Then Elkanah returned home to Ramah without Samuel. And the boy served the Lord by assisting Eli the priest.
And then we read – in 1 Samuel 2:19,
1 Samuel 2:19 (NLT)
19 Each year his mother made a small coat for him and brought it to him when she came with her husband for the sacrifice.
A mother’s love never stops. She never stops sacrificing for and caring for her children. Mothers never stop being mothers. No matter how old you are, no matter where you are or what you have done, your mother – is your mother, and that is the way God has made her.
And I am so glad these next verses are in Hannah’s story of the heart of a mother.
1 Samuel 2:20-21 (NLT)
20 Before they returned home, Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May the Lord give you other children to take the place of this one she gave to the Lord.”
21 And the Lord blessed Hannah, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.
God is sooo good!! And his plan, when you can finally see it all, will be sooo good! The Lord blessed Hannah, and gave her three more sons and two daughters - - - Meanwhile, Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.
Listen, I know that all stories on this earth don’t have a happy ending. But please hear me when I say – your story is not over, and you will not be able to see it all until you are with the Lord seeing it all from his perspective.
Samuel grew up to be one of Israel’s greatest prophets and was used mightily by God in Israel’s history. My question today is, how often does Hannah get some credit for that? Not very often. She would have never even gotten a mention if God had not seen to it to have it recorded in his Word.
And that is also what being a godly mother is about. Selfless sacrifice for the good of others. Praise to God in every circumstance and very little credit.
Moms, please hear me loud and clear today. Those are the most Christ-like character traits there are! And you possess them.
So, to my mom, and to my wife and to all three of my daughters, thank you. Thank you for your continual self-sacrifice, for your praise to God in the midst of it, and for doing it all for very little earthly credit. God knows all that you’ve been through and all that you’re going through now, and his smile of approval is your greatest reward!
And I cannot begin to tell you all that my wife (as a mother) has done to make our family what it is today. My kids and I grew up on the never-ending sacrifice and care of my wife, and my daughters (and daughter-in-law) as mothers have all displayed the same incredible sacrifice for their own families and still for me! Through some extreme difficulty for each of them, my daughters and daughter-in-law have all become tremendous conduits of God’s sacrificial love, which is the unique mark of a godly mother.
And especially in the difficult situation of Covid-19 that we find ourselves in today, the already massive burden that mothers carry has been substantially increased as mothers are tasked with the emotional and physical care of all those around them freaking out at some point and in some way during this crazy Covid time. From quarantine and home-schooling to husbands who can’t express the stress they’re feeling and all the other pressures this year, mothers need ten times the thanks and love for all they do.
And I do realize Mother’s Day can be a double-edged sword. Maybe your mother has passed away, or you have regrets as a mother, or you want to be a mother and can’t be. To all those who struggle with the “other side” of Mother’s Day, I’m sorry.
God knows – he knows right where you’re at. He knows your heart, and he loves you, un-imaginably. Please don’t fall victim to the attacks of the enemy who would try to capitalize on the emotional pain that can be part of this day for some people. Stand against those attacks of the enemy. Stand firm in your faith and stand firm in the unconditional love God has for you.
Contrary to our culture’s determined destruction of God’s plan, the truth is God fundamentally made men and women very differently. God created women (and especially mothers), so unique, so incredibly gifted and so sacrificially loving that God literally “saved them ‘till last” to create them.
When God made woman in Genesis 2:18, she was created as the answer to the problem with man, and that is still why God creates a woman! And a hundred times over for mothers.
The Lord was at the end of the creation process. He was preparing the final missing piece, and an angel came to the Lord and said, “Why are you spending so much time on this final piece of your creation?”
And the Lord answered, “Well, here are just a few of the requirements she has to have…”
“She has to be able to constantly do ten things at once and never wear out. She has to run on coffee and kid’s leftovers and constantly work like she’s three people. She has to have a kiss that can cure anything from a scraped knee to a broken heart.
“She also has to have three pairs of eyes. One pair to see through closed doors and closed hearts. One pair in the back of the head. One pair constantly looking for a child that needs her love and understanding.
“She has to heal herself when she is sick while she’s continuing to take care of her family, while doing homework (or home-schooling), along with all her own chores, all while carrying the emotional burden of everyone in her family. She has to be equal amounts of gentle and tough to accomplish all she’s called to.”
Then, the angel noticed the first woman was crying, and he asked the Lord about it. The Lord responded, “That’s part of her greatest strength.” Her tears will be her way of expressing her joy and her sorrow, her disappointment, and her pain and her loneliness and her grief, all while continuing to do what I’ve made her to do.
The angel was impressed, “Lord, you have truly thought of everything for this one.” The Lord simply replied, “It is because of all that will be required of her.”
That is the Heart of a Mother.
Turn in your Bibles to 1 Samuel. In the time just before the Kings of Israel, God made Samuel Israel’s last judge and first “formal prophet.” It was Samuel that God used to choose both of Israel’s first two Kings (Saul and David). Samuel has a huge place in the history of the People of God, and fortunately, God has given us a small window into the heart of Samuel’s mother.
God used the determination, the perseverance, and the heart of Samuel’s mother so that God could use her son Samuel to raise up the nation of Israel, and in this little window of Hannah’s life, we see clearly the heart of a Godly mother. Our window opens in 1 Samuel 1:1-2.
1 Samuel 1:1-2 (NLT)
1 There was a man named Elkanah who lived in Ramah . . .
2 Elkanah had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah did not.
So, Hannah’s story begins with a huge hole in her heart. It is so hard on women who desire so badly to be mothers and cannot be. Pam and I experienced that for seven years before the Lord gave us the first of our three children, and many of you have experienced this same hole in your heart.
But, hopefully, none of you have experienced a second wife in the house who constantly taunted you about it on top of your grief. That is what Hannah experienced.
1 Samuel 1:3-5 (NLT)
3 Each year Elkanah would travel to Shiloh to worship and sacrifice to the Lord of Heaven’s Armies at the Tabernacle . . .
4 On the days Elkanah presented his sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to Peninnah and each of her children.
5 And though he loved Hannah, he would give her only one choice portion because the Lord had given her no children.
The word “choice portion” means the best portion, indicating Elkanah’s love for Hannah. But still, she could only have one portion because she had no children, and Peninnah (the “other wife”) made sure Hannah felt the full sting of that.
1 Samuel 1:6 (NLT)
6 So Peninnah would taunt Hannah and make fun of her because the Lord had kept her from having children.
In that time, you were considered “cursed by God” if you were not able to have children, and I know women today who struggle with that same feeling.
And so, for Hannah, this was like brutal torture year after year.
1 Samuel 1:7 (NLT)
7 year after year it was the same—Peninnah would taunt Hannah as they went to the Tabernacle. Each time, Hannah would be reduced to tears and would not even eat.
This is the heart of a mother before she has any children. Peninnah (the “blessed wife”) would taunt Hannah and make fun of her. But Hannah was too broken to fight; instead, she would be reduced to tears, not even able to eat.
But, never fear. The husband always knows exactly what to do, right? And so, hubby rides in on the white horse to fix everything.
1 Samuel 1:8 (NLT)
8 “Why are you crying, Hannah?” Elkanah would ask. “Why aren’t you eating? Why be downhearted just because you have no children? You have me - isn’t that better than having ten sons?”
You know men; sometimes it’s just best to keep your mouth shut – that way, if you’re thinking about something stupid, at least no one knows about it. You have me isn’t that better than having ten sons . . . ? Year after year, it was just getting too much for Hannah. And so, we read in 1 Samuel 1:9-11,
1 Samuel 1:9-11 (NLT)
9 Once after a sacrificial meal at Shiloh, Hannah got up and went to pray. Eli the priest was sitting at his customary place beside the entrance of the Tabernacle.
10 Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord.
11 And she made this vow: “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the Lord, his hair will never be cut.”
That, right there, is the heart of a godly mother. Hannah is dying to have a child, and in deep anguish, she cries out to God. O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will hear my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours his entire life – and as a SIGN - his hair will never be cut.” (Nazarite vow). That is how a Mother’s heart works.
Lord, more than anything else in the world, I want so badly to have a child, and if you will answer my greatest prayer, I will give that child back to you!
And maybe you would say, “Well, that doesn’t make a lot of sense.” If she wants a son so badly, why give him back to the Lord? Because the heart of a mother is the heart of self-sacrifice, and that is what you see in Hannah right here.
And so, Hannah prays this deep, heartfelt prayer, and the Priest (Eli) hears her. And after a short interaction, Eli the Priest says to Hannah, “Go in peace, may God GRANT your request,” and Hannah leaves the Tabernacle greatly encouraged. So, we read in 1 Samuel 1:19-20,
1 Samuel 1:19-20 (NLT)
19 The entire family got up early the next morning and went to worship the Lord once more. Then they returned home to Ramah. When Elkanah slept with Hannah, the Lord remembered her plea,
20 and in due time she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, “I asked the Lord for him.”
After all that, after all the torment from the “other wife,” after all the crying out to God and carrying the grief, after all that – in due time- God gave Hannah a son.
And now, she begins pouring her life into her son. He becomes her everything. In fact, during those crucial years, Hannah didn’t even go with the family to worship at the Tabernacle in Shiloh.
1 Samuel 1:21-22 (NLT)
21 The next year Elkanah and his family went on their annual trip to offer a sacrifice to the Lord and to keep his vow.
22 But Hannah did not go. She told her husband, “Wait until the boy is weaned. Then I will take him to the Tabernacle and leave him there with the Lord permanently.”
When Samuel is young, Hannah says to her husband, I am going to pour my life into my son for these years. I am going to do what is best – for him – without regard to myself, and then, I will release him to what God has for him. THAT is the heart of a mother.
I experienced that heart with my own mother, and it most likely saved my life, and I am experiencing that now with our daughters and daughter-in-law. God made mothers to do what is best for their children at substantial personal sacrifice, always knowing that they will release them all too soon into what God has for them. THAT is the heart of a godly mother.
And then, we see the father’s insightful wisdom in 1 Samuel 1:23.
1 Samuel 1:23 (NLT)
23 “Whatever you think is best,” Elkanah agreed. “Stay here for now, and may the Lord help you keep your promise.” So she stayed home and nursed the boy until he was weaned.
Knowing how badly Hannah had prayed and struggled to have this child and knowing what was coming, Hannah poured her life into her son until it was time to release him.
1 Samuel 1:24-28 (NLT)
24 When the child was weaned, Hannah took him to the Tabernacle in Shiloh. They brought along a three-year-old bull for the sacrifice and a basket of flour and some wine.
25 After sacrificing the bull, they brought the boy to Eli.
26 “Sir, do you remember me?” Hannah asked. “I am the very woman who stood here several years ago praying to the Lord.
27 I asked the Lord to give me this boy, and he has granted my request.
28 Now I am giving him to the Lord, and he will belong to the Lord his whole life.” And they worshiped the Lord there.
THAT is the heart of a mother. Remember how I was dying to have a child? Well, the Lord was gracious and gave me a son, and so, I’ve been pouring my life into him every day. He is my absolute everything, and now I am giving him to the Lord for his entire life because that was my promise, and that is what is best for him.
And you know that Hannah is again dying inside over her child. First, she was dying inside because she couldn’t have a child. Now, she is dying inside because it is time to release her son – to God’s will. That is what being a godly mother is about.
And notice the end of verse 28, And they worshiped the Lord there. I guarantee you, for Hannah, it was worship through tears. It was tears of joy that she was able to pour her life into her son, and it was tears of pain to release him to God’s will. And in the next ten verses of 1 Samuel Chapter 2, Hannah’s worship is poured out to the Lord. In some ways, this is very similar to the Song of Praise poured out by Mary (Mother of Jesus) in Luke Chapter 1.
Guys, a life marked by self-sacrifice and praise to God, is what being a godly mother is all about.
Picking it up in 1 Samuel 2:11.
1 Samuel 2:11 (NLT)
11 Then Elkanah returned home to Ramah without Samuel. And the boy served the Lord by assisting Eli the priest.
And then we read – in 1 Samuel 2:19,
1 Samuel 2:19 (NLT)
19 Each year his mother made a small coat for him and brought it to him when she came with her husband for the sacrifice.
A mother’s love never stops. She never stops sacrificing for and caring for her children. Mothers never stop being mothers. No matter how old you are, no matter where you are or what you have done, your mother – is your mother, and that is the way God has made her.
And I am so glad these next verses are in Hannah’s story of the heart of a mother.
1 Samuel 2:20-21 (NLT)
20 Before they returned home, Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May the Lord give you other children to take the place of this one she gave to the Lord.”
21 And the Lord blessed Hannah, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.
God is sooo good!! And his plan, when you can finally see it all, will be sooo good! The Lord blessed Hannah, and gave her three more sons and two daughters - - - Meanwhile, Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.
Listen, I know that all stories on this earth don’t have a happy ending. But please hear me when I say – your story is not over, and you will not be able to see it all until you are with the Lord seeing it all from his perspective.
Samuel grew up to be one of Israel’s greatest prophets and was used mightily by God in Israel’s history. My question today is, how often does Hannah get some credit for that? Not very often. She would have never even gotten a mention if God had not seen to it to have it recorded in his Word.
And that is also what being a godly mother is about. Selfless sacrifice for the good of others. Praise to God in every circumstance and very little credit.
Moms, please hear me loud and clear today. Those are the most Christ-like character traits there are! And you possess them.
So, to my mom, and to my wife and to all three of my daughters, thank you. Thank you for your continual self-sacrifice, for your praise to God in the midst of it, and for doing it all for very little earthly credit. God knows all that you’ve been through and all that you’re going through now, and his smile of approval is your greatest reward!