And me, worried

Every real basketball fan will remember this player's name and the name of his team: MARK EATON, Utah Jazz, NBA. He was one of the best blockers and rebounders in history...although in university he was considered useless in basketball, in spite of his height of 7' 4".

No one believed he would ever make it to the NBA. But even though there were few people behind him, Mark worked hard and put his trust in God.

How many times has it happened to you? You've been working with your team, in your own church, in your own city, or around the people who have known you for years, and it seems that no one gives any importance to what you do. People know us, love us, and help us in all kinds of places...except in the place where we come from.

We are working with all the strength we can muster and dedicating our time and money to benefit the people around us, yet because everyone knows us and has been around us for many years, we are overlooked and under-appreciated. Any stranger who walks through the door gets more attention than us.

We need to look into a man's heart to find the reasons for this lack of appreciation - we may find envy, jealousy, dissensions. There are those who won't allow others to overlook them, especially if they are better known or younger than their critics.

You know what? It is a difficult situation, but it shouldn't worry us. The Lord Jesus must have felt the same way when he could not do  miracles in his own land because of the unbelief of those around him. Many people thought, "Who does he think he is? We've known him since he was a child.

We know his father and mother. We know he worked as a carpenter... and now he says he is the Son of God!" Yes, Jesus felt the scorn of his own people, and he taught us that a prophet will often not be honoured in his own country. If this happened to the Lord Jesus, it shouldn't be surprising that it happens to us too.

And finally, let's look at it from another angle. If we don't like it when we are not "honoured in our own country", then we must be careful to give honour to others. How do you treat those around you? Are you willing to give others an opportunity or give honour where it is due, even if that person is younger or weaker than you? Honour people who work in their own land.

Esteem the people on your team, your friends and acquaintances.

Appreciate the people in your church. Be an exception, and don't worry too much if sometimes they don't honour you.