Question: I have been helping an elderly lady that has very little - no money, no family, no friends. I have really enjoyed helping her. My problem is that it seems that no matter what I do it doesn’t seem to be good enough for her. If we get her furniture she wants expensive furniture, if we try to get her a better apartment - it is not big enough for her taste. I know in my heart that God wants me to help her but now I am feeling like I’ve been taken advantage of, and I feel like a big fat failure at helping someone in need. What should I do? I want to serve the Lord but sometimes I think I can never do anything right!

Answer: You asked a really good question, because it goes to the heart of service. We are called by Jesus to do two things: love God and love others. And we are to love “unconditionally” because that’s the way God loves us.

We can understand completely your feeling that you have failed at helping this lady. Nothing could be farther from the truth! You have been obedient to the Lord in serving her, even when your service isn’t always appreciated. We aren’t responsible for how people react to our overtures of love and service. We are only responsible to obey what Jesus told us to do.

Even the love that Jesus showed to others was not appreciated. Remember the story of the ten lepers? Jesus healed them all, and yet only one came back to thank Him. If people didn’t appreciate what Jesus did, we shouldn’t expect that people will always appreciate what we do for them.

Certainly you don’t want to be taken advantage of, so you don’t have to necessarily respond to this lady’s request that you get “nicer” things. At the same time, don’t think for a minute that your acts of kindness have gone unnoticed. Your Father in heaven knows, and that’s what really counts in the end.