It’s easy to assume that people who have public ministries are accomplishing the most for the kingdom of God. But author, speaker, and activist Christine Caine says that her most meaningful work has occurred in unseen moments.
On the latest episode of Viral Jesus, Caine describes an event many years ago where she spoke in front of hundreds of thousands of people. The crowd broke into thunderous applause as Caine exited the stage. In that moment, Caine’s mentor urged her to listen to the crowd.
“In about 60 seconds, that applause is going to stop. Those people are going to turn around and go home. And that is all the reward you are ever going to get for this," she said. "So Chris, you better be doing a lot of things no one knows anything about if you want to be storing up rewards in heaven.”
Caine has never forgotten those words. As a public figure, she could easily convince herself that the time she spends in front of a crowd is the thing God cares about most in her life. But instead, Caine reminds herself not to confuse the size of her platform with the effectiveness of her ministry.
The challenge, Caine says, is to ensure that the most meaningful things we endeavor to do for the glory of God are quiet. What a comfort this is for the vast majority of us who will never speak on stage to thousands or see our names in lights. Whatever we do, whether seen or unseen, can be done to the glory of God.
