Taken For Granted

Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things.

PSALM 103:2–5

DURING ONE SEASON IN THE LIFE OF ONE OF OUR CHILDREN, we really had to pitch in and remove as much of her stress and the demands on her time as possible. In the course of a child’s growing up, every kid will pass through such a season. Maybe it’s a difficult academic semester at school. Maybe they’re having a particular challenge with a social adjustment. Maybe their hormones are practically boiling inside them and they just need some extra space. When such seasons arise, you know that now is the time to lessen the load on their shoulders at home so they can more fully marshal their resources to face the challenge before them.

Many times, this effort goes unnoticed and unappreciated. I remember a mom in Kansas commenting on this with her daughter. “She has no idea how much I’m doing for her,” she said. “No idea! I mean, I’m happy to do it, but she really has no clue.”

It struck me that this is exactly how God must feel. Think about it: How many times are we driving down a road, about to carelessly slip into an accident, when God’s providence spares us a potentially fatal encounter? We drive on our way with only a momentary glance backward, not realizing God has miraculously intervened.

How many times has God opened the door for us vocationally, relationally, and otherwise, yet we failed to notice his handiwork? Maybe we passed it off as “networking” or our amazing ability to build friends, not realizing the divine hand that moved human hearts on our behalf.

How many times has God spared us from a vicious storm (or saved us in the midst of it), blessed us with a beautiful day, or whispered some Bible verse or encouragement in our hearts, just when we needed it most?

Have you ever pondered how much time God has spent planning your days, thinking about the person you should marry, what gifts he should unleash in you, and what doors he’ll open so you can use those gifts? How much creativity did God spend designing your face, developing your personality, and crafting your disposition?

How many times has he thwarted Satan’s temptations and kept you from doing something you would regret for the rest of your life? You may have thought the entire episode was just a “private close call.” There may have been nothing private about it at all—you just didn’t see the holy spiritual battle going on around you.

How many times has our Lord watched over our children, steered them away from danger, and moved them toward positive friends—situations that to this day we know nothing about? Our kids left home to go to school and other activities, and they came back home; we took it for granted, blissfully unaware of how God shepherded them back into our arms.

How many times has God inspired a pastor, a writer, a radio preacher, or a friend to share a message, a Bible verse, or an insight exactly when you needed to hear it? How frequently has God put food on your table and clothes on your frame? Think of how many times you almost had a sharp object poke you in the eye or something drop on your head; or how many times you narrowly escaped falling from a high place. Think it was an accident that you were spared?

God is a busy God. He is pervasively present in our lives, showering us with his goodness and mercy and favor. But how frequently do we specifically recognize what he does for us?

Not nearly often enough.

Some of you may be thinking, “But God didn’t steer my daughter away from trouble; she’s living with her boyfriend!” or, “That hurricane not only hit; it leveled my house!” or, “I’ve been unemployed for nine months; don’t even begin to tell me God has opened doors.”

Our culture has the mistaken (and rather modern) notion that when God gets involved, things become easier. The ancients understood that when God steps into the fray, things may actually become more difficult—but ultimately more meaningful and character producing. Just because we don’t understand the way God moves doesn’t mean he has stopped moving; it just means we’re too finite to understand his perfect, sovereign ways.

The next time you become aware that your kids aren’t noticing how much you do for them, turn that around and remind yourself of how much God does for you! Let’s use our children’s taking us for granted as a call to worship the God we’ve likewise been so prone to forget to thank.

Heavenly Father, forgive us for not giving you the thanks you deserve. It is so wonderful to know that you are actively involved in our lives, even when we don’t appreciate it. Thank you, dear Father. In Jesus’ name, amen.