VIEW FROM THE RECOVERY ROOM - Part II

THINGS I DON'T DESERVE

It was a tough day towards the end of last week. A lot of post-operative pain, all predictable but still no fun to go through. During that day a good friend came by to visit. It was obvious he was having trouble sorting out in his mind what I was going through. “You don’t deserve this” he said. And then he recounted a number of things the Lord had helped us to do in our life and ministry. It was a classic attempt to develop a balance sheet of accomplishments only to find at the end it didn’t add up. In his mind I should have ended up on the plus side of the ledger, not fighting cancer.

It’s great to have fans – people who think you are good stuff and cheer for you along the way. The problem is that the perspective of fans is usually unbalanced. Remember, the root word of fan is fanatic.

A very big truth of the Bible, repeated many times, is that God does not deal with us according to what we deserve but “according to His mercy”. The word is “grace”. It’s a critical difference of perspective. Mankind is by nature self-centered. We start the ‘what I deserve’ column focusing on our positive qualities and accomplishments. Grace focuses on the love of God which covers our sin and then showers us with His favor.
In response my heart is lifted up with worship and thanksgiving. A thankful heart beings with an awareness of what I don’t deserve.

Here are some things that I don’t deserve:
- to see the light of this new day with its blessings and opportunities,
- to live in a great country like Canada with its freedoms and privileges,
- to be married to a beautiful and loving wife for 43 years (don’t get me started…),
- to have 2 loving and caring children who have given us 4 great grandkids,
- to have lived 66 years with hardly a day of sickness.
- to have a large and wonderful family of Christian friends in the churches I serve, and have served, who are praying fervently for me,
- to have a comfortable home to live in with a fantastic view of the ocean,
- to have a place of service waiting for me when I recover which allows me to fulfill the calling of God upon my life to serve Him and people.
But in fact I HAVE ALL OF THESE AND MORE because of God’s grace.

I’m sure you understand that part of this perspective comes from living among people, most of whom live on less than $1 a day, eat one meal per day (sometimes with meat), have no access to health care, are vulnerable to wars, famine and disease. I pray that my life will be a constant testimony of thankfulness to the God of all grace.

KEN