Does anyone notice? Does anyone care? Is it worth it?

At the start of September, just as parents were preparing for their children to return to school, more than a hundred schools were closed due to the risks posed by RAAC concrete.

This cheap and lightweight building material was widely used from the 1950s to the 1990s, but becomes prone to crumble and collapse after about 30 years.

Quite naturally, questions were asked of the government as to why this risk had not been identified earlier and schools rebuilt. Gillian Keegan, the Education Secretary, was interviewed on ITV to defend the government’s record. She was subsequently caught off-camera swearing as she expressed her irritation over the concrete crisis and a reporter’s questions, asking: ‘Does anyone ever say you’ve done a good job?’

Her remarks reveal the pressures that government ministers face. They are rightly held accountable for the failings of their departments, but they are rarely appreciated for the work they do in tackling often intractable problems. Most of their labours are unseen by the public, which is quick to criticise but slow to commend.

As Christians we can easily fall into similar frustration. Many of our labours seem to go unnoticed and unappreciated. We are quickly criticised when things go wrong but taken for granted for our efforts the rest of the time. This is just as true, for example, of the parents working to keep their children under control at church, as for the pastor working to care for his flock. We can easily become cynical and discouraged. Does anyone notice? Does anyone care? Is it worth it?

Of course, we must be mindful to avoid serving simply to gain the appreciation and praise of others. This was one of the sins of the Pharisees and teachers of the Law highlighted by Jesus. However, we can take confidence that our labours are seen and will be appreciated by the Lord Jesus, and this knowledge liberates us to do them for Him even when others fail to notice.

Jesus taught His disciples two truths which appear contradictory but are not. On the one hand, in Luke 17:1-10, He told them a parable about the work of servants. This concludes: ‘So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, “We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty”.’ This teaches us that we have no right to thanks from our master for the work that we do, because we never do anything for Him which is over and above our duty. We belong wholly to Him and are called to serve Him with our whole self.

On the other hand, in Luke 19:11-27, Jesus told His disciples the Parable of the Ten Minas. In this story the master, who had trusted his servants to invest his money on his behalf, commends and rewards those who have served him faithfully. He says: ‘Well done, my good servant!’ and gives them even greater responsibility in his kingdom.

These parables, taken together, are both humbling and encouraging. They humble us by reminding us that we have done nothing special or exceptional in serving the Lord Jesus. We were saved to do the good works that He prepared in advance for us to do, and we do not earn the right to thanks for doing them. However, it also encourages us that it is worth serving our master. He is not a ‘hard man’ but a generous Lord. Nothing goes unnoticed by Him.

We may often be tempted to feel like Gillan Keegan, unnoticed and unappreciated. However, we should take comfort from knowing that the Lord sees our faithfulness, and that He will ultimately commend us if we have done a good job on His behalf.

In the meantime, as we await that final appraisal of our works, let’s make sure that we are encouraging one another. Paul was always quick to commend the Christians he knew for the faithfulness he saw in them. In 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3, he writes: ‘We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labour prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.’

How encouraging and affirming it would have been for the Thessalonians to hear these words, and a positive incentive to both persevere and do ‘more and more’! How might our churches be transformed if we were to foster a culture of commendation and encouragement of each other, rather than one of cynicism, criticism or indifference?