A 13 year old boy woke up early one morning. He got himself to the kitchen and prepared his parents' favourite breakfast cereal. Sending the surprise on a tray to his parents' room, he put on a big smile. His parents were still fast asleep when he woke them up and said, "Mummy, Daddy, I got you your breakfast!" Mom and Dad got up half reluctantly, half puzzled at the surprise breakfast in bed. They smelt a rat but dismissed it anyhow. They enjoyed the breakfast cereal their son had prepared for them, feeling the warmness of his love in their hearts. The boy sat down on the bed, watching his parents finish up the cereal. He saw that they were in the best of moods and then he popped the question he had held back for so long, "Er... Yesterday, I found out that my best friend bought the new Play Station. I want it too. Mum, Dad, can you give me $680 to buy the Play Station too? I need to buy new games too." Immediately, the breakfast cereal wasn't so tasty anymore and the smiles on the parents' faces drew back. Mum said, "Is that the reason you made breakfast for us? So that we would give you the money to buy your Play Station?" Dad continued, "I can give you the money but I won't. You already have a Play Station and a stack of games to play. Why do you need a new one just cos your friend has it? You don't need it. Money is hard to earn." The boy knew there was no room for negotiation. He got up from his parents' bed, walked out.
This may be a fictional story but it gives us an idea of what conditional love looks like. How often do we find ourselves being like this 13 year old boy towards our heavenly Father. We pray because we want to ask Him for favours. We do good so that God will not condemn us to eternal sufferings. With such impure intentions, we are better off not having even acted out of "love" at all because it makes us hypocrites; insincere and dishonest.
God is not a wishing tree and definitely not someone we make transactions with. How would the Mum and Dad in the story feel? They were absorbed by the love they seemed to have received from their son with high hopes and enthusiasm, just to find out later that there was a price attached to the act of goodness. In the same way, God must feel terribly disappointed with us when we do things so as to receive something in return. How can we say that we love God if we attach a condition to this love?
But instead, when we choose not to spark off an argument, do it out of love for God and seek nothing in return. When we choose to be patient in a heated confrontation, do it out of love for the Lord and seek no rewards for being a peace maker. When we choose to be nice and helpful towards others, do it out of love for God and seek not any kind of gratification. Let all the good that we do be done out of our simple and humble love for God and in Him, His people sent to us in our daily lives. Let us not do things to show off or boast but really, out of the most basic and simple love for God., we do His work for His greater glory. Let our intentions be pure and sincere. Let our sole motivation and drive to every day living be our love for God. Let us pray that God plants in us a deep love that grows daily for Him and that with our deep love for God, we will extend this love unto those He send into our lives daily. So that more will come to know Christ and accept Him and His Truth.
18 August 2010
12.36am
Sad to say, I think most children are like the boy in that story, me included. It may be the media at play that is the cause...
ReplyDeleteI conduct transactions with God too, and some extreme as well. It happens when I am very helpless over prayer requests.... I know it is not right....
My SD told me not to take God for granted and to thank Him when He answers my prayers. I think that is important.