I was recently thinking about the old animated film Cinderella. In that story, Cinderella meets her fairy godmother, who grants wishes with a wave of her magic wand. That image seems to stick with us, because many of us approach our relationship with God in a similar way—maybe even worse. We begin to think, If I do this, then I will get that. God becomes transactional, a kind of barter-and-exchange system.
I am afraid that is not how it works, at least not in my experience.
In fact, when my own children come to me with that same mindset, my reaction is usually indifference, or at most tolerance. “Dad, if I clean up the dog poop today, can you take me to the store so I can get those new clothes I want?” My reaction is probably what you would expect: How about you do what you are supposed to do, and then we will see.
So if you truly believe there is a powerful, supreme being with father-like qualities, then perhaps it makes sense to apply some of the lessons from childhood to that relationship. In many ways, it seems to work similarly.
Whining never got me very far with my parents.
Complaining did not accomplish much either.
Trying to bargain with them over what they already provided for me was silly.
Offering to do my basic responsibilities in exchange for some extra favor was, to say the least, arrogant.
Treating my parents like an ATM—or worse, a slot machine—was certainly not the recipe for getting what I wanted.
What I learned, as most children eventually do, is that if you keep your mouth shut, do what you are supposed to do, do not expect too much, and follow what your parents tell you, they usually come through for you. Mine always did.
Maybe I was lucky to have the parents I did. And assuming you have a good relationship with your parents—which I know is a big assumption—is it really so strange to think that our relationship with the divine Creator might follow a similar pattern?
Come to think of it, perhaps that is one reason God lets us have children in the first place. It certainly teaches humility.
