Some meals sit heavy in the stomach. Not because of the food, but because of the atmosphere. You’ve tasted that before, haven’t you? A quiet table. Tension in the air. A feast prepared with effort, maybe even extravagance — yet every bite feels dry in the mouth.

Now picture a humble plate of vegetables. Nothing fancy. No garnish. But across the table, there’s laughter. A gentle tone. A warm glance. That meal? It nourishes the heart.

Scripture captures that contrast with such quiet power: “Better is a dish of vegetables where there is love than a fattened bull where there is hatred” (Proverbs 15:17, NWT). The verse isn’t just about food. It’s about how love transforms everything — even the smallest offering.

When I could work, my wife would sometimes make my lunch. And somehow, it was always better — better than the rushed, functional versions I threw together myself. She knew my likes and dislikes. She picked each item with care. And even if it was the same sandwich, the same apple, the same bag of chips — it tasted different. It was made with love.

What if Jehovah feels the same about what we bring to Him? What if He prefers a simple act done in love over a grand effort wrapped in pride or resentment?

Jesus lived that answer. He came “not to be ministered to, but to minister and to give his life as a ransom in exchange for many” (Matthew 20:28). His entire course on earth was shaped by humble, loving service — healing the overlooked, comforting the brokenhearted, praying late into the night. The world may have measured His success by how many followed Him, but Jehovah saw the flavor of His love in every act.

Now we walk in His steps. Maybe your ministry this week felt small — a quiet note slipped under a door, a brief phone call, a conversation that didn’t seem to go anywhere. Maybe you’re the one making meals no one comments on, folding laundry in a house where no one thanks you, showing up to care for someone else when no one knows how tired you are.

And yet… what if Jehovah still delights in that quiet service — simply because it was flavored with love? What if the value of what we offer has less to do with what’s on the plate, and more to do with the heart that prepared it?

So we do not give up. Not because the work always feels rewarding, but because of mercy — “Since we have this ministry through the mercy that was shown us, we do not give up” (2 Corinthians 4:1). We keep setting the table. We keep sharing the meal. We keep seasoning every act of service with love.

And that, to Jehovah, is enough.