God doesn’t owe me (or anyone else) anything, but that doesn’t mean I don’t act like He does at times.

How about you? Have you ever said something like…

• Surely this won’t last much longer. You (I) have been through so much already!
• As much as you have given to others, you’ll definitely reap the rewards.
• I’ve been really responsible with my money lately, so I’m sure I won’t have any unexpected surprises.
• It’s time for vacation, and you (I) totally deserve a break!
• I’m looking forward to retirement. I’ve put my time in and it’s time to enjoy life.

Even if we say we don’t think God owes us anything, what we think and say often betrays us. Instead of believing who God is and trusting Him regardless of how life is going or how well we understand it, we turn to a reward system. We might vehemently oppose the concept of karma, yet our reward/punishment system of what we and others deserve or don’t deserve says otherwise.

God doesn’t have to give me anything. His response isn’t dependent on me; it’s dependent on Him. Making it about me gives me way more control than I actually have…control I don’t even want, because I know I can’t handle it. I don’t see all the moving pieces involved. My perspective is selfish. I think I know what I want to happen next. I definitely have an opinion of what I think should happen next. But I’ve been wrong before and will continue to be wrong because of my limited perspective. The best perspective I can have is God’s, and the only way I can have it is to know Him well. Even with my best efforts, I will not fully know Him. There’s always more to know. Thankfully, He’s willing to consistently reveal Himself to me.

Am I willing to pay attention?

Yes. I owe it to God.