Gracegirl

Thursday, March 23, 2006

Because You're Worth It

I've been thinking about something lately. I don't know if it's just me, but I've been noticing a lot of people talking about what we deserve. But what they say isn't really true. For example:

We deserve health.

We deserve chances.

We deserve rest.

We deserve satisfaction.

We deserve freedom.

We deserve respect.

We deserve privacy.

No! We don't deserve anything but wrath. The idea that we could possibly deserve anything good is idolatry. It is placing us--the created--above our Creator. Like we deserve anything? Oh really? What have we done to deserve anything? Just reading Amos (and Isaiah) really has made me think about how regularly we as humans turn our backs on God. How puny we are, and how silly that must look.

Really, I was looking at my brother's hermit crabs the other night, and thinking how funny it was that they get scared even when my shadow passes over them. Then I thought just about my height ratio in comparison to theirs. I wondered how tall something would have to be to be proportionate in my case. God is so other than that. He isn't even remotely in the realm of "bigger than." If there was ever an "off-the-charts" case, He would be it! I've been thinking about a recent news story--this doctor traveled to Africa, so that he could train more doctors. He was riding in a canoe on the way back from some village and a crocodile jumped out of the water, snatched him, and dragged him under. It just made me wonder at how many ways God has to take us out of this world. I'm sure this man never thought he'd be taken from this earth by a crocodile in Africa. But he was.

So to draw all these scattered thoughts together, God is so great, and I just don't see how we deserve anything. That is, we don't deserve anything other than God's wrath. And somehow, He constantly showers us with blessings. Let me list just a few.

The blessing of salvation.

The blessing of God's Word.

The blessing of prayer.

The blessing of the Spirit's help.

The blessing of life.

The blessing of family.

The blessing of the Church.

The blessing of work.

The blessing of friends.

The blessing of never being finished.

The blessing of not being able to control everything.

The blessing of color.

The blessing of music.

The blessing of laughter.

The blessing of joy.

The blessing of hope.

The blessing of justice.

The blessing of peace.

The blessing of love.

The blessing of change.

The blessing of children.

The blessing of rain.

The blessing of sunshine.

The blessing of growth.

The blessing of health.

The blessing of encouragement.

The blessing of rest.

The blessing of wealth.

The blessing of affliction.

The blessing of marriage.

The blessing of age.

The blessing of education.

The blessing of nature.

The blessing of technology.

The blessing of the written word.

The blessing of the spoken word.

The blessing of comfort.

The blessing of discomfort.

The blessing of compassion.

The blessing of birth.

The blessing of guidance.

The blessing of variety.

The blessing of water.

The blessing of strength.

The blessing of weakness.

The blessing of food.

The blessing of clothing.

The blessing of creativity.

The blessing of authority.

The blessing of submission.

The blessing of memory.

So each time you hear the word "deserve" let me just encourage you to replace the words following it with "wrath." And then, count your blessings. God is so good!

3 Comments:

  • At 3/27/2006 4:12 PM, Blogger Leila said…

    Katie-

    I'm totally with you! I have students whinning about deserving a better grade - it's like, this whole 'self-worth-independence' thing has made people think that just because they are themselves (and apparently that's impressive), they should get all sorts of stuff - including a grade they never earned. Anyway, God Bless you! :o) Have a great week!

     
  • At 3/29/2006 6:05 PM, Blogger The Resident Writer said…

    Congrats on getting accepted to Master's. Maybe I'll see you around town. I think I deserve it.=)

     
  • At 4/04/2006 3:37 PM, Blogger Kate Alesso said…

    God's Girl--
    Thanks! I don't deserve such a sweet friend. I enjoy you. You're a blessing.

    Leila--
    I agree. The self-esteem movement really goes overboard. Who wouldn't want to get on that bandwagon?! It's totally about making you feel good about yourself. Totally anti-gospel. I can understand some of the idea-- for self-concious kids with braces and all, but it's totally gotten carried away.

    JenM--
    Thank you! How did you know? I'd love to meet you--that would be very fun.

     

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