“Every small and uncelebrated act of service to Christ counts.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – September 22, 2026
You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God. 2 Corinthians 3:2-5
As human beings, and certainly as parents, we each carry worries in our subconscious that over time can weigh us down like a backpack full of stones. One such worry that I carry, and I doubt I am unique, is the question, “Does it count for anything?” My days as an at-home mother are full of mundane little moments: diapers, meals (always another meal on the horizon!), picture books, messes, cuddles, laughs, tears, more cuddles, etc. At the end of an exhausting day when I’ve nothing to show for my labor except a messy house and three (hopefully) sleeping children, that question – did it count? – can creep up on me. Did I make a difference with the work of my hands today, or simply keep these little people alive and fed? I wonder if this anxious question is behind the urgency many people feel to post everything on social media as it happens. Perhaps we feel that if we could just catch a moment on camera and post it somewhere for posterity, then it would surely count. But what about all the undocumented, uncelebrated moments? Do they count for anything?
When Paul wrote to his spiritual children in Corinth, he tenderly expressed that he needed no worldly accolades or certificates to affirm him in his ministry. What was the assurance that the long, slow, arduous days he had devoted to serving the Corinthian church counted? It was the young and growing Christians themselves who had received the Gospel of Truth at Paul’s hands and were continuing on the path towards Christ that he had set them upon. And though the work was still “in progress,” he wrote with utter confidence in its eternal success. Why? Not because he had such confidence in his teaching or his methods. Not because he sent out such excellent newsletters and received glowing feedback from the Apostles. His confidence that his work counted came from an understanding that it wasn’t really his work at all. He was partnering with the Spirit of the living God, and his success and his sufficiency came from that very same Source.
As a mother, this passage is like a refreshing glass of water that keeps me going on a hot day. It reminds me that every little moment spent in faithful love and service to my children for Christ’s sake counts far more than I know. Even if I never post a memory on social media or complete a family scrapbook, each day is leaving an indelible mark on the hearts of my children that will shape them as they grow, prepare them for their own service to their King, and ripple out into eternity. More than anything, my strength and joy for the task are renewed when I remember with whom I am partnering. Knowing that it is His work gives me complete confidence that my little part does indeed count.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank you for those people in my life you have used to write with your Spirit on my heart. Please make me an instrument of the work you are doing in the hearts of my children and those around me. Give me confidence that every act of service to you, no matter how small or unnoticed, counts. Amen.
Application
Place today’s Scripture passage somewhere you will see it often this week. Let it remind and encourage you that the work you are doing is making an eternal mark, and those you are serving will themselves bear the proof of it, by God’s grace.
Related Reading
Jeremiah 31:33; Proverbs 3:3; Philippians 2:13; 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20
Worship Resource
Reawaken Hymns: Take My Life and Let It Be
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