You deserve this.

Be extremely careful with the word “deserve” – it is highly combustible.

Unless you are extremely, extremely careful, the moment you say, “I deserve this”, like a big stink bomb tossed into a crowded room, greed, elitism, and self-centeredness comes bursting on the scene.

In the same way, the moment you say, I don’t deserve this” a big, bad pity party is about to explode in your face.

And pity the person of whom it is said: “They deserve it” (or worse yet) “You deserve it.”

Best to play it safe with the whole deserve thing.

• The ONE THING for today: Stick with grace and mercy; these are much more humbling but far more healthy and helpful.

“Whenever you are about to howl to the heavens, ‘I don’t deserve this!’, close your eyes and remember Christ hanging on the cross and say it again aloud, ‘I don’t deserve this.’” _Ann Voskamp / A Holy Experience blog / July 23, 2012