What’s up, listeners. It’s me, your host, Wanda Thibodeaux, and you’re listening to Faithful on the Clock, the podcast for Christian professionals where every can of soda goes pop to get your faith and work aligned. Whether you’re new to the show or coming back for more, you’ve probably heard the idea that if you just put in good effort, your reward will come. Well, as lots of you out there probably can testify, sometimes, you do good work, and nadda. You don’t see anything. What does that mean? Like, is God with us through all of that? What are we supposed to do? Let’s check in with the Word and get some advice.

So, the first thing I want to say right out of the gate about what to do when rewards don’t come is, if you haven’t listened to Episode 139 about gratitude, I highly encourage you to go back and check out that show. Because the takeaway for that show was that God is always the biggest reward we can have. And I just want to start with that because it really makes you check yourself. Like, what really satisfies you? And in a foundational way, you know, God’s our portion. We don’t need more than Him, and it’s important to understand that.

But we’re human, right? And inside that, I think not getting a reward still can mess with us in our sense of justice. Like, most of us, even as kids, if you put the toys away like everybody else but you don’t get an ice cream like they do, we’re gonna think, “What the — what’s going on here? Where’s my ice cream? I did the thing — this isn’t fair.” And if we just think about how the brain works, part of what motivates us is anticipating and getting something that makes us feel good. If we don’t get rewards at all, we don’t really see the point of working.

So, one of the reasons I’m doing this show today is because I honestly have been feeling — I’m not gonna lie — just discouraged. Like, as a freelancer, I’m putting out the content. I’m engaging on social media. I’m developing my website and talking to managers and, you know, hustling. I’m doing what the marketing and business types say to do. But y’all, I’m also tired. I mean, sometimes I’m recording things at 5 o’clock in the morning, for real. And even though I know that the work I do, it really is a slow burn, especially with the kind of content I’m doing, it’s just hard, right? And I’m like, “Come on, God. I’m not asking to win the lottery or anything like that, but throw me a bone here. Something. Anything.” And I’ve had people, I’ve even had them directly ask me, “Do you really wanna keep going like this?” They were taking a look at my financial situation and were just like, “This doesn’t make sense. You’re not winning here.” But at the same time, I’m like, I cannot quit. This is what I’m called to do. And I know I’m not the only one in this place, right? I know some of you out there, you’ve got two, three jobs, you’re not getting the promotion even when you show up — like, it’s real. And I just want to acknowledge that and tell you, you know, I see you. I get it. I’ve worked really hard to see other people fly by plenty of times in my life. It’s a theme, OK? But I think Scripture has some really good things to say about this, so I just wanted to share some of the things that I’ve been thinking about as I’ve been going through this myself again.

So, just to kind of tie back to that opening statement I had about being grateful just for God, just really trusting in Him, I’ll point you to Habakkuk. And if you don’t know who he was, he was one of the minor prophets. But the thing about Habakkuk is, he’s really got doubts about the stuff going on in the world. How many of you out there, that’s true for you too? And Habakkuk is seeing that there’s no justice, and he asks God, you know, “Why are you making me watch all this?” And God and Habakkuk kind of go back and forth, and Habakkuk really questions what God’s up to in using an even more evil people to punish Judah for the stuff they were doing. But then in Chapter 3, verses 17-18, Habakkuk, you know, he still does not fully understand, but ultimately he expresses faith in God. And he says, “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.” So, this is a great example where there weren’t any visible indications of what God was gonna do. There was no tangible evidence. But Habakkuk still praised God and trusted that God was gonna sort it out. And if you extend this and understand that Habakkuk and Jeremiah were contemporaries as Babylon was taking control over Israel, you know, Jeremiah, other prophets, they kind of caught a break where the people repented, but Jeremiah, he was at it for 40 years because he knew he was called by God. But in all that time, he had zero indication from the people that anything was gonna get better. But that’s where we can see God’s reassurance again in Jeremiah 29:11, where He basically says, you know, “Hang in there, because even though you’re in bondage now and things are bad, I’m gonna prosper you. I know what I’m planning and you can trust that I’m gonna redeem you when the time is right.” And other people from Scripture, David, the psalmists, even Ruth serving Naomi with no guarantee of a return, we see them doing what Habakkuk and Jeremiah did, too. They poured out their complaint, but they reminded themselves who God is, and they repeatedly chose hope before the evidence arrived. So, that’s the first takeaway, to anchor yourself on God’s strength and what He’s promising rather than what’s not present, because the fact certain things aren’t available doesn’t mean God’s not working or that He’s abandoned you. And over and over again, we see that when God’s people are faithful in the absence of immediate gains, He absolutely comes through in the end.

The second lesson I want to give you is with Noah. And what we see with Noah is that God gives him a clear instruction. He tells Noah, “Build this boat, because I’m gonna send a flood to wipe everything out.” And a common estimate from scholars is that it took Noah around 75 years to do this job. Now, just think about that. Noah lived a lot longer than us, but for us, that’s our whole life, just hammering away. But you have to remember, if we look at Genesis, there’s not a whole lot of communication that’s recorded between Noah and God as all this building was going on. And I can just imagine, you know, Noah’s neighbors walk by and they’re like, “This guy is nuts!” He probably had to put up with them every day. But if you’ve got a calling, if God’s instructed you to do something, Noah’s example is, you stick with the last instruction you’ve got from God. And not only that, but you keep acting on what God’s said to do even when other people are telling you there’s not gonna be a reward and that what you’re doing is pointless. So, ask yourself, what’s the last word on this God has given me? And sometimes, you know, maybe He hasn’t said anything directly to you the way He did with Noah. But there’s a lot in Scripture where God’s directions on all kinds of things are clear. So, one of the best things you can do is look to the Word and follow that.

Next, I want you to look at Joseph. I’ve covered him in more depth way back in Episode 72. But if you don’t know his story, Joseph as a young guy, you know, he’s a good kid. His dad loves him. But he has this dream where the implication is that his brothers are all gonna bow down to him. And of course, his brothers don’t like that. And they end up selling Joseph into slavery in Egypt. And he ends up in prison because he has integrity when his master’s wife makes advances on him. He’s in the worst possible circumstance with no real reason to think anything is gonna turn around. But what we see with Joseph is, he keeps using his gifts faithfully where he is. He fosters excellence where there wasn’t any. And in the end, that gets him out of prison and into the position of authority that lets him save both the Egyptians and his brothers from famine. And what I want you to take from this is, rewards can go way beyond us. I mean, yeah, Joseph got his freedom. But he also got reconciliation with his family, and he ensured that the entire nation of Israel would survive. So, as you’re trying to figure out what God’s up to, the takeaway from Joseph is, God might see a bigger picture that we’ll understand later on. But what you can do even when you’re in a really obscure place is to hold to the values and character that God’s placed on your heart. Really identify what you’re trying to defend and why it matters, because that’s gonna give you the confidence to persist when things aren’t comfortable.

So, now I’m gonna ask, how many of you would like it if you showed up at, say, 6:00 a.m. and you got the same amount as some guy or gal coming in at noon? I’d be like, “Come on, man, where’s my six hours worth?” Well, that’s exactly the situation we see in the parable of the workers in the vineyard in Matthew 20:1-16. Workers who come later in the day got the same pay as workers who had arrived early. But there are two big lessons inside that story, OK? The first thing is, the whole reason the workers who arrived early were upset was because they were comparing themselves. If they would have just focused on the agreement they had with the master, there wouldn’t have been an issue. And Jesus points that out as He tells the story. He’s like, “Why are you so worried about what I’m giving them? Didn’t you agree to the rate I’m paying you?” So, if you’re not getting the rewards you expect, ask yourself if you’re comparing. Like, are you really looking at your specific situation, or are you just saying, “Well, everybody else gets x, y, or z, so, that must apply to me, too.” What are the underlying, unspoken standards you’re subconsciously working with? And the thing there is, it’s easy to complain when you came in early. But what if you’re the one who came in late? I’d be like, “Oh, man, this is — I’m grateful. I didn’t know how I was gonna cover the bills but I can now, and maybe I don’t deserve it, but I’m so grateful.” So, the second big lesson is, the fact you don’t get the reward you expect doesn’t mean God’s generosity isn’t present and active. And so, I’d challenge you to set your ego aside and say, “If the reward maybe isn’t with me, then where is it?” Because I want you to see that the generosity is always there even when for us the math doesn’t seem to add up. And that’s part of what makes Christ’s death so powerful. We don’t deserve the grace we get with that. We’re all the late worker in that way. So, look for where God’s moving, how He’s extending that unexpected grace, and just really focus on that, understanding that God understands who’s really deserving and in need better than we do.

Another parable you can look to is the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30. So, in that story, the master gives each servant some money to steward. And when he comes back, you know, the servants show how they’ve multiplied what they were given. And the master is upset with the servant who just hid his money. Because the point wasn’t the amount that the servants were stewarding. The point was that the master expected them all to be good stewards of what they had. Like, the expectation was the same for all of them, but the one servant, he didn’t even really try, right? He wasn’t willing to take a little risk to do some good. So, the encouragement you can take from that is, you know, if you’re taking the responsible risks, you’re working really hard, you don’t get the money, you don’t get the promotions or whatever it is, God’s so much more concerned with the faithfulness behind what you did. Because He’s powerful enough, He can make any outcome manifest that He wants, OK? What He’s really looking for is the intent, the effort, especially because the world, if there’s one thing the world is good at, it’s creating problems for believers. You know, we see the headlines all the time, so-and-so embezzled, so-and-so broke this law. We’re always fighting things like that as we try to operate and serve with integrity. So, if you’re running into that, just focus on bringing that desire to the altar, even if that’s all you’ve got, because He absolutely sees that, and He’s not going to disregard you.

Now, I understand, some of you out there, you’re just done. I mentioned Habakkuk and Jeremiah already, but I think I’d be really remiss if I didn’t mention Elijah. And I include him here because he’s a guy, you know, like Joseph, he holds his integrity. He takes out the prophets of Baal as one guy against 450 men. And this humiliates Jezebel, and she essentially vows to kill him. And so he flees into the wilderness. And he’s just got nothing left. He’s exhausted. And I’m gonna be honest, I’ve had plenty of times in my life where I fled. Ran straight into whatever coping mechanisms I had. Maybe for you that’s overwork, or maybe you hide in a job others want you to be in, or maybe you just crash with whatever the bar has on tap. Because if we’re honest, doing the right thing is not easy. And maybe some of you out there, you know, you’re not running from God, per se, but the world or what’s happening to you just scares you to death. And we feel like we’re alone in what we’re working for, and maybe, if you wanna get really real here, maybe like Elijah, you think, “I’d be better off if I wasn’t even here anymore.” But as Elijah is in the wilderness, I want you to notice that God lets him take a minute, OK? He sends an angel to Elijah, brings him food and water, makes sure he gets some sleep. And that allows Elijah to continue to Mount Horeb to meet with God. So, the takeaway there is, when you’re wiped out from being faithful, don’t ignore the little gifts and mercies God puts in your path on the way to the bigger victory. Look for those. Let Him sustain you. Rest up before you go out to do the rest of the job. Even Jesus, in the garden before He was arrested, He went and talked to God before finishing His mission out.

OK. So, most of this episode, you know we’ve looked at rewards really in more of a mindset approach. But if you’re looking for some really practical things to do, I think one of the best places to start is to be more direct about what you want. Like, it’s OK to go to your boss and say, “You know, I’ve been doing x, y, and z for 8 months, and I just wanted to ask, does that align with what you’re looking for for me to get promoted? What exactly would I need to do to meet that goal?” And you don’t have to wait for a performance review to do that, either, OK? Just open that communication up and get on the same page. And connected to that, do what you can to increase your visibility. Because I’ve seen it so many times, where people are doing all these things, and nobody really understands the scope of what they’re doing, and they’re not talking to the right person who really can make things move. So, like, you know, you’re not walking in like a narcissist saying, “Woah, just look at me and what I did.” But maybe you CC somebody who’s relevant on a project. Maybe you go to a conference or volunteer, you link on social media to an article you wrote. Those are very accessible, low-time-commitment options, right? And then the other thing that really aligns with the Christian call to love is to try to do small things without an expectation of getting anything back. Just see how that feels. You know, maybe you just hold a door open or hand somebody the floor in a meeting because you know they’re still struggling to be assertive. But over time, it trains you to say, “I don’t always have to look out for something for myself. I can just be kind, and the reward I do get from that is being understood and connected and cared for.” And lastly, as you’re doing your work, think about what within the work is really satisfying. And the idea there is that you’re looking at the process itself rather than the outcome. Like, me as a writer, the tangible reward, that’s an article or a book or something, maybe the money from people buying the content right? But the process of seeing my concepts materialize on the page, being able to refine it, all of that is really freeing to me. So, that’s a reward that has nothing to do with the reach of the content or the tangible copy being available to create income. And if you’re really in a position where you say, “Gosh, nothing really feels rewarding,” then I would first just see what you can do to alter the process to contain something you do enjoy. But if you really can’t do that, then I would give yourself permission to really examine whether you’re really where you can serve God best. Because we wanna be in a place where we can do good and still be who God designed us to be, right? But really pray about it and be honest with God that you’re not sure where to go. But even just that acknowledgment to Him that you’re not happy, there’s trust in that, and I don’t want you to minimize. You know, He can comfort us better if we acknowledge the reality of where the hurts are.

So, after all of that, let’s just slow down and close out with a prayer.

Lord, so many of us are working with all we’ve got. We’re doing all the right things. We’re doing what You asked us to do. But we don’t always understand what to expect. We don’t always understand the blessings You have set aside as rewards for what we’re doing. So, Father, please just help us not to get so lost in our specific expectations that we forget You’ve got our backs. Thank You for Your Word and the encouragement we can take, Lord, and thank you for Jesus and the chance to spend eternity with Him and with You. That’s the most incredible reward for faith we can ever receive. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

All right, everybody. I’m leaving this show hoping that God gives you not necessarily the reward you’re wanting, because sometimes we want what’s not all that great, but the reward He knows is right that you need. And if you’re feeling like you need even more footing, you could use a little extra support, I’ll invite you to check out the library of content at faithfulontheclock.com. We’ve got hundreds of pieces of content there to help you understand yourself and God a little better. Next week, join me as I welcome guest Elaine Lankford for a really powerful discussion on how women can unapologetically step forward into the leadership God’s assigned to them. I’ll see you in two weeks, listeners. Be blessed.