It was a wet spring in Southern Indiana. We here in Northeast Oklahoma know what that’s like, don’t we? Flooded streams, puddled yards, muddy shoes and grass that just won’t stop growing. At least a part of that description was true of our yard in Indiana.

I needed to mow the lawn, but it wouldn’t stop raining long enough for me to attempt to do so. The grass was getting very thick. There was a large puddle in the middle of our extensive back yard. What to do?

Now, I must confess that I have never really liked doing yard work. As I was growing up, when I got old enough to handle the job, mowing the grass had become my responsibility. I grew to hate it.

I was a typical teen who had other pursuits which were much more desirable than having to mow the lawn. Besides, it wasn’t the actual mowing that was so objectionable -it was that stupid power lawnmower that absolutely delighted in frustrating me. It wouldn’t start!

I would pull on the rope to crank it until I felt my arm would fall off. I had checked the oil, the gas tank was full, but it would not start. After pulling on that crank for at least a half hour with no success, I would give up and put the lawnmower away.

I was not a mechanic, never have been and still am not. I didn’t know what to do with the cantankerous old lawnmower. Of course I knew I was in trouble. Dad had told me to make sure I got the lawn mowed. After I had attempted and failed, he would come home, see the lawn un-mowed and be angry with me. I would explain why I had not mowed the lawn and he would mess with the mower for a while, start it, and I would mow the lawn late in the day.

But, things are different when you become an adult and you are the owner of your own house and yard. Mowing the lawn may have been a chore when I was a youth, but even though it is still a chore, it is now, as the homeowner, a responsibility. My lawn was getting out of control and it was my responsibility to do something about it, even if it was still raining.

Finally, I decided that the chore could not be put off any longer and went out into the rain and mowed the lawn. I still hated it, but now it was up to me to get it done. So, I did -rain or no rain. Did anyone thank me? No, I was just doing what I needed to do.

Life is like that sometimes. Jesus reminded us that in life we have responsibilities that no one is going to thank us for doing. It is just ours to do. Luke 17:9-10 (NLT) says, “And does the master thank the servant for doing what he was told to do? Of course not. In the same way, when you obey me you should say, ‘We are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty.”

Encouraging someone who is busy with a thankless job can be a real blessing to that worker, but certain jobs are just plain ours to do. They are our responsibility and whether they are noticed or the work is appreciated, doesn’t always seem to matter. They are still ours to do. “We are (just) unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.”

– Just a Thought Dale Fillmore is lead pastor at New Day Church.