"Will there be cake?....."

My youngest son, on the day of his great-uncle's funeral, when asked if he felt he would like to attend asked us,
"Will there be cake?"
I guess he knew he was stepping into a dicey situation, but knowing that he would get a reward would make it all worth while.
We told him there probably would not be cake. He chose not to go.
I think that's what a lot of us do from time to time. If something looks tough, we stray away unless there's the tiny inkling that we might get a prize; a reward. We can do this with situations of all kinds, with relationships.
No one said it would be easy. In the short term, there may not be anything that we perceive as a 'reward' for our efforts.
But, in the end, we have a reward....and we don't really have to do much except open hearts, minds, and selves to what He wants us to do...to believe, to love, to give. In the end, He is waiting. So, yes. in effect....there will indeed be cake.