God Sees Your Hard Work No One Else Notices

How many times have you asked out of frustration: does God see my hard work? Or should I continue working faithfully for my employer/boss who doesn’t seem to notice my hard work? The simple answer is YES. God sees…and in fact, He will honor your hard work. Like you, Jacob must also have asked himself similar questions. In Genesis 31 which talks about Jacob’s flight from Laban, his father-in-law, I noticed that verses 36-42 focus on Jacob’s passionate defense for his diligent hard work which Laban abused severely but God honored. In verse 42, Jacob concludes his defense by saying: “In fact, if the God of my father had not been on my side—the God of Abraham and the fearsome God of Isaac — you would have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen your abuse and my hard work. That is why He appeared to you last night and rebuked you!”

In Genesis 31:5-7, Jacob talks about how hard he had worked for Laban, how God had been with him despite Laban cheating him, changing his wages ten times, but God did not allow Laban to do Jacob any harm. In verse 12, God Himself tells Jacob that He has seen how Laban has treated him. In this story, what piqued my interest is in Genesis 31:36-42, where Jacob gives us a perspective on what qualifies as diligent hard work that God sees and ultimately rewards:

1. Jacob worked for a long time (v. 38): For 20 years, Jacob worked. He worked for Laban, caring for his flocks. Also remember that Jacob started doing all this hard work at a time when he was probably well over 70 years old.

2. Jacob developed mastery in his work and did his work excellently well (v. 38): In all the time Jacob worked for Laban, none of the sheep or goats miscarried. That is excellence, delivered by God blessing Jacob’s work and Jacob having mastered his craft over many years.

3. Jacob was honest, never stole from his master, and had integrity (v. 38): Jacob never used a single ram of Laban for his food, despite having many opportunities to do so. Working for a wicked master, one could imagine Jacob being tempted to say if Laban won’t pay me honestly, I could as well just reward myself with one of of his animals every now and then. But Jacob firmly resisted this temptation.

4. Jacob was self-sacrificing, treating his master’s assets as if they were his (v. 39): The animals were often either killed by wild animals or stolen, either in broad daylight or in the dark of night. Since these events were outside Jacob’s control, his natural reaction should have been to either show Laban the carcass of his killed animals and ask Laban to reduce his flock count, or for Laban to buy another animal to replace the stolen or killed ones. Jacob did neither. Instead, he took the losses himself – never showing his master the carcass of his killed animals but replacing his master’s depleted flock from his own. In spite of this hidden generosity of Jacob, taking responsibility for the losses even when he wasn’t responsible, whenever animals were stolen, Laban still made Jacob pay for them. How ungrateful!

5. Jacob was consistent, diligent, dependable and conscientious (v. 40): Through different uncomfortable seasons when he could have given up (scorching heat and cold), and when he was too sleepy to work or simply did not feel like, Jacob continued working. No days off! I believe the Bible highlights these extreme conditions to show that many of our excuses for mediocrity, carelessness, or quitting when challenges arise simply do not hold up. We must push through and show up, consistently and daily with our best possible effort.

6. Jacob was highly motivated (v 41): Through the 20 years, Jacob was working for something. For 14 years, he worked to earn Laban’s two daughters (albeit because Laban deceived Jacob), then for six more years to earn his share of Laban’s flocks. This tells us that motivation at work plays an important role in encouraging us to keep showing up. That said, I’m sure that Jacob probably had days when his work tending to flock felt mundane or he wanted to return home and felt demotivated. But in those moments, it was important for him to keep front of mind why he was doing the work. Yes, he was working to earn his wife and his wealth, but he also had God’s many promises to him to hold on to. Jacob’s experience with motivation reminds us of Christ “…who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Heb 12:2

These were the characteristics of Jacob’s hard work that God saw and ultimately honored. God had been taking notice of Jacob’s silent and diligent hard work for Laban. Laban knew that he had become significantly wealthier because of Jacob (Genesis 30:27-30), but he cheated Jacob repeatedly of his wages and did not keep his promises to Jacob. God however continued to bless Jacob in miraculous ways, which eventually fuelled jealousy in Laban’s sons and a negative attitude from Laban towards Jacob. But God saw. He was taking record of all Laban’s wicked and unfair actions towards Jacob and when the time was ripe, He instructed Jacob to depart from Haran and return to his father’s land with all his accumulated wealth.

Many times we may also be wondering: does God notice my hard work? Should I continue working hard for my company/employer/boss when they don’t recognize my efforts? Jacob’s story reminds us that God sees and honors the faithful diligent worker. This is why Colossians 3:23-24 encourages us that: “in whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.” Other encouraging Bible verses to keep in mind:

• Ephesians 6:7–8: “Do your work, and be happy to do it. Work as though it is the Lord you are serving, not just an earthly master. Remember that the Lord will give everyone a reward for doing good. Everyone, slave or free, will get a reward for the good things they do.”
• 1 Corinthians 10:31: “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
• 1 Thessalonians 4:11–12: “Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before. Then people who are not believers will respect the way you live, and you will not need to depend on others.”

Have you faced this conundrum at your work place or in life more generally, wondering if you should continue working hard despite your employer not noticing you or when you don’t feel like, or if you should become sloppy / average like every one else? Feel free to share your experiences in the comments and how you managed the situation.