I am going to talk about my least favorite phrase in the world. I hear it often. I see it all the time on social media.
Here is an example:
Mom posts picture on Instagram. Might be a picture of herself in the mirror – looking pretty with make-up and a cute outfit on. Might be a picture of a fancy dinner plate. Might be a picture of her hand interlocked with her husband’s.
Caption: Date night with my man.
Comment from follower: You deserve it, mama.
You deserve it.
The biggest lie there ever was…
Maybe I’m over-spiritualizing this and getting worked up over semantics. I know people probably don’t always check themselves for theological accuracy when they say “You deserve it” on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook. “You deserve it” seems like a perfectly nice and casual thing to say when a friend tells you about a promotion, a new project, or an upcoming vacation over coffee.
Maybe it’s not a big deal.
But I think it is.
Because “you deserve it” is the biggest lie I tell myself on a daily basis. I don’t need other people affirming the deceit I constantly battle against.
My flesh wants to lie to me and say:
You have been working hard; you deserve a break.
You are a good wife; you deserve a date.
You’ve been a good friend; you deserve a phone call.
You serve at church; you deserve to be recognized.
You are dedicated at school; you deserve a grant.
You are nice, friendly, and helpful; you deserve to be praised.
But all these whispers are a lie.
The truth of God is this:
“…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” and “For the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 3:23 and 6:23).
As sinners, we deserve nothing good. Nothing at all. In fact, we deserve only punishment and death.
It is a gift of God that we live and breath and have families and go on date nights and maintain friendships. These gifts are undeserved in every way fathomable. They are grace. James 1:17 says: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights…” Every good thing is from the Lord. It can’t be earned. It can’t be bought. It is never deserved.
And the ultimate gift is salvation. Whether or not we are blessed with grants and vacations and coffee dates, the ultimate gift we will ever receive from Christ is himself and the promise that we will live with him forever.
So ladies, let’s change our language. Let’s stop spreading the lie that Satan so desperately wants us to believe. We don’t deserve it. I don’t deserve it. Neither do you.
Let’s speak of grace and blessing and gifts from a Father who loves us. If it’s date night on Instagram, praise the Father from whom all blessings flow.
I love that you put this out there. My husband and I can't stand the word "Deserve," yet I am all too often catching myself for saying those exact words, "You deserve it." You're absolutely right. We don't deserve anything we get/have! People are to quick to lose sight of the BLESSINGS in life. Have a wonderful Friday! xo
One of your best posts! Thank you, what a great reminder!
So true! Thanks for sharing!!!!
A-MEN! My husband and I heard a sermon on this exact topic several years ago, and it has stuck with us to this day. We deserve NOTHING. Every single thing in our lives is a testament of God's mercy on us. The only thing we deserve is hell.
Wonderful post! It is all to easy to get into the "I deserve it" mindset so this is a great reminder! Thank you!
Completely agree! And I know it's something that I have probably said at one point or another. But the idea that we deserve anything other than DEATH because of our sin, has been at the forefront of my mind lately. And I think that mindset will help us see just how blessed we are and how good GOD is to give us life! 🙂
I haven't given this thought the attention it deserved. But you're so right. We don't technically deserve it. Yet somehow God is so amazingly gracious that He does continually give us all these beautiful dates and cute outfits and other things we don't deserve. I guess instead of saying 'you deserve it' we just need to say 'I'm thankful God gave me….'
Such a good thought!
http://www.heyjudedylan.blogspot.com
Wow!! You really made me thing with this one. Right on. We let things fall so freely from our tongue without the second thoughts they deserve.
These very same thoughts have been circling my head the past few weeks! Thank you for articulating them so beautifully!
I love your blog. I have come by a few times, but never left a comment. I'm a Texas girl {ft. worth}, so I recognize some of your trips. We have family in AZ too, so I love it as well. I was so glad that you posted this. I don't use the word "deserve" at all. I feel so strongly, like you said in this post. We deserve nothing. We are given grace and love and a good life, but we are not deserving of anything. Such a great post!
xo
nicolle