Will I Ever Get It Right?

“How come Daddy doesn’t love me? I’ve tried to do everything he asks, but he never seems happy. Will I ever get it right?” asked the little girl. Is that you? It certainly was me.

I grew up feeling I had to earn my father’s love. Often, it seemed I did everything wrong because no matter what I did, I didn’t get praised or hugged or even smiled at. But if I did something wrong, action was swift and unforgettable. As I child I learned “if I don’t get it right, I won’t be loved.”

I spent the majority of my adulthood feeling the same way about God. My head knew better, but often my heart didn’t. I was constantly performing to please God, but it seemed I either didn’t get it right or that there was always one more thing to perfect. Would  I ever get it right?

Then I read “Jesus told them, ‘This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent’” (John 6:29, New Living Translation). How freeing that was for me. Oh, I still fall back into old habits now and then, and have to shake them off, but God is there to remind me, “Relax and believe.”

Have you had a tough issue to battle? Share with us how God helped you win the fight.

Debra L. Butterfield © 2011