"Deserve ko 'to!"

How often have you seen this phrase on social media? Like, "I deserve [insert reward] because I [insert effort/struggle]." But after close observation, we can often see that there's more to the story or if they actually deserve a good thing from happening.

Here are three ways to look at this common trend in social media.

1/ What We Deserve Matches Our Current Self.

It's easy to say we deserve the best things when, in reality, we don't.

I believe we should act based on our wages and avoid unnecessary expenses. So, whenever you think you deserve a fancy vacation or a new iPhone, but your bank account says otherwise, it means you don't deserve it YET. You can always save up for it, avoid using debt, and enjoy your purchase carefree.

What we truly deserve is a debt-free life, which we can only achieve if we learn how to spend wisely.

2/ We Often Deserve the Unfortunate Things We Receive.

Have you ever seen someone post on social media about them deserving the negative consequences of their actions?

Many people say they deserve something, which often only means they deserve good things. However, rarely do we ever consider that we also deserve the terrible things that happen. For instance, if you don't pay your debts, you deserve to be chased by your creditors and suffer damaged relationships, or if you gamble your money, then you deserve the financial, relational, and even mental problems coming your way.

It's often easy to say that we only deserve the best when, in reality, we sometimes deserve the worst.

3/ We Often Withhold Good Things Other People Deserve.

Lastly, sometimes, we withhold and steal the good things other people deserve.

For instance, you have a P100,000 debt to your family or friend that you always delay paying for whatever reason. But whenever a newly released gadget or a vacation is planned, you always seem to have the money for it. In this case, you're withholding your family or friends from enjoying their money, resulting from sheer selfishness.

So, we need to be more careful when we feel we deserve something when, in reality, we don't. Worse, we deserve the negative consequences.

Finally, I believe it's all because of God's mercy and grace that we don't receive the penalties we truly deserve and instead receive good things we don't deserve.