Have you ever received a gift and felt “I don’t deserve this?” Last year I received a surprising gift from an unexpected person. I was thrilled, but my immediate response was, “Lord, I don’t deserve this. Make me worthy of this generous gift.” Just as the thought entered my mind, I remembered that gifts, like God’s grace, are not about being worthy. The definition of a gift is “a thing given willingly without payment.” It is simply the desire of the giver to meet a need, bring joy, bless, or encourage the receiver. The gift I received was all of these and more. Yet, I wanted to feel I deserved the gift by earning it.
I realize I am not a good receiver of gifts and often find myself contemplating how I can pay the giver back and justify the present. I confess this is a mixture of pride—not the godly kind— and not wanting to be indebted to the giver, another indication of my ego. Perhaps this is why “works” in the Christian faith are so appealing. Works are easier to define and quantify. They justify our sense of worthiness. God’s grace, His unmerited favor of salvation through Jesus, is impossible to comprehend fully. I can’t put my arms around it because it is so undeserved.
I must receive grace solely based on His performance, not mine.
By Grace Alone
My human nature wants validation due to my actions, not someone else’s. We want to perform specific tasks which meet our or another’s expectations. We want to feel we have received this gift because we deserve it based on our behavior. Grace is like being graded with a pass regardless of how well or poorly we perform. I have much to learn about my heavenly Father and His expression of love through grace. Do you feel the same?
With grace, I cannot judge my behavior or build up my self-esteem of being good enough or think—here comes the pride—I am better than someone else. What if I don’t do a good job and prove myself worthy of this opportunity, this gift? All the labels, intelligent, hardworking, unselfish, etc. that make us feel acceptable and loveable do not apply when we receive the sacrifice of Christ, leading to our salvation.
God Gave Us His Best
Ah, a lesson in humility and a human reaction. God reminds me, again and again, I am his child. He is my father. God loves to lavish his gifts on me. He gave me his best-His son Jesus. His love is unfathomable. When He gives us presents through the kindness of our brothers and sisters, He is shining His love and light on us through them. We have the great joy of passing on this same light to others. The more we accept His spiritual or physical gifts with a child’s delight, the more we feel encouraged to pass on what we have to others. Here is the circle I mentioned last month, the circle of choice. He chose to love us, to give us the greatest gift. As we accept His love with a pure heart, we naturally desire and choose to love and give to others.
Blessings,
Personal Parables is the blog of Dyann Shepard. Get Dyann’s complementary study in Proverbs and prayer guide, What to Do When You Don’t Feel Good Enough. If you need encouragement to remember the truth about yourself in times of doubt and anxiety, this free 5-day study is for you. Follow Dyann and Personal Parables on Instagram and Facebook. Dyann is available for speaking, guest blogging, and article writing.
Personal Parables Practices
- Am I still trying to earn God’s approval?
- Do I accept others as God accepts me?
- Who are the people in my life that I can give grace (undeserved favor) to?
Pray with Me
Gracious Father, Forgive me for trying to earn your love. Thank you for giving me the gift of Christ. Help me be a gracious receiver and in turn be a generous giver, not to earn your love but because of your love. Help me to be a blessing, to bring joy and to meet the needs of those you put into my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Scripture for Meditation
Ephesians 2:8-10 (ESV) – For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Good works cannot save us, and not only that, they cannot earn us God’s love. God loves us not because of us but in spite of us.
Romans 5:8 (BSB) – But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Music for Reflection
