More Than You Deserve

Christmas is over, the presents are open, and the lights are down. Did you get what you wanted out of the holidays? Were you hoping for rest, gifts, or experiences? Here is a more personal question: did you get what you deserve?

I have to be honest, I have strong entitlement feelings when it comes to receiving the things that I want. And when I don’t get those things, I feel like I got the short end of the deal. I deserve eight hours of sleep every night and am robbed when the kids only give me five. I deserve to have a weekly date night with my wife but feel left out when we can’t make the time to go. You see how this works.

“God’s love exceeds all that you deserve or even desire.”

-Maria Boulding

When it comes to receiving God’s love, I don’t deserve a thing. However, he dumps buckets of love on me every single day of my life. Paul wrote to the baby-Christians in Rome and reminded them that, “There is no one righteous, not even one… All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one (Romans 3.10-12).” Remember this: God loves you more and God loved you first. Don’t feel stung by some sort of holiday-hangover because everyone else seemed to have the vacation you deserved. Instead rest in the knowledge that, God loves you more than you deserve or desire. That’s a powerful statement.