What Do I Deserve?
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
Have you ever thought....well I hope this happens for my child because he or she just really deserves it. They have worked hard. I have worked hard. She has sacrificed. I have spent lots of money working helping them work towards this. Lots of time has been dedicated. I have at one time or another said these things and thought these things and even prayed those things.
Today, while praying for some specifics and requests for all of my family, that little thought tried to creep in. The Holy Spirit gently nudged me to the gospel.
Wait, ok....no. We don't deserve ANYTHING....they don't, we don't, I don't, not anyone does. Quickly my prayer changed.
It shifted from requesting He bring this "thing" about, to this request... Lord, we deserve death but we got life. Only through Your son is anything possible or do we get to partake in anything of value and worth. Would You give us Your mercy, grace, and kindness in this situation? It went more along the lines of because You are good God and we are not.....actually nothing good lives in us apart from You.....just because of Your goodness and for Your glory....would you bring about this thing?
It made me think about how lately I have heard and read the word narcissism in a lot of parenting articles, blogs, and teachings. I looked up the definition of a narcissist. Dictionary.com defines a person suffering from narcissism as deriving erotic gratification from admiration of his or her own physical or
mental attributes.
This buzzword is being used in regards to how children are suffering from this and therefore our society is reaping the effects of an entire parenting era that promotes this behavior and glamorizes their children's mental and physical attributes. They even go on to say that it is almost epidemic as social media adds to promote..aka glamorize the already underlying issue.
If ever our children need the gospel it is now. Our society needs the gospel to heal our land. It starts with parenting by the gospel.
Let's Pray God's Word:
Dear Heavenly Father, we confess that nothing good lives in us apart from You. From the beginning we are born sinners. Thank You that not because of something we did, but because of something You did, that we get to experience life and any good thing.
Lord, please help me to be a mom that does not conform to culture in how I view and teach my children. I know it begins with living out my own dependence on You. Create in me a new level of dependency and humility so it can spill over to my little edge of the world....my home....and flow out into Your big big world through my children.
Any physical or mental attribute my child has is a gift from You. They did nothing to deserve and it had nothing to do with how good I am. It is only because of how good YOU are.
Teach me daily so I can teach them daily that we deserve death, but we have life. Only through You Jesus.
Amen
~Terrie Chevaillier
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