What we deserve

On Wednesday, I was doing a rare shopping trip at the Christian bookstore I used to work at, and had a delightful surprise: I ran onto a former co-worker of mine from there that I hadn't seen in 9 years. The last time I saw her, was at the viewing for her husband, who had lost his battle with cancer, leaving her with a son and daughter.

As I and another former co-worker chatted with her, she told us she had just remarried last month, and showed us her ring. We both hugged her, told her how happy we for her, and said the same thing: "You deserve to be happy."

I got to thinking about that later, and have thought about it since then a few times. She does deserve happiness. She lost her husband to cancer, aftter standing by him in sickness and health, and had to raise a 12 year old boy alone, with help I am sure from her 21 year old daughter. But do any of us deserve happiness?

 Do we deserve anything good? We were all born sinners, and did what sinners do: we sinned. Some more than others, not that the amount of sins matters to God. We all deserve death and hell. But God offers life, forgiveness, and eternal life.

 We live in a selfish age. Everything thinks they are owed something. If we don't want to work or have some small physical problem, we think we are owed welfare. If we work, we feel we are owed something in return.

  We deserve good service at a restaurant
  We deserve a raise
  We deserve health insurance....

 But none of us are deserving of what God has offered. In five days is the day we have set aside to honor and observe the day God became a baby, the greatest gift any of us could ever have. A gift none of us deserve.

  I ran across this in a book I was reading:

If we had needed healing, God would have sent a Physician.

If we had needed knowledge, God would have sent an Educator.

If we had needed information, God would have sent a Scientist.

If we had needed money, God would have sent a Banker.

But, we needed forgiveness, so God sent a Savior!
I for one, am thankful I don't always get what I deserve.