Life is unfair and I don’t deserve this.

There have been a number of news stories recently about the over-treating of certain medical issues, i.e, too many unnecessary tests, too much medication, etc. Certain doctors are concerned over-treatment could be be doing more harm than good.

The double meaning of the phrase “over-treating” didn’t escape me. Is there such a thing as “over-treating” oneself? Clearly, and painfully, the answer is ‘yes.’ And doing more harm than good! Rooted in Satan’s temptation of Adam and Eve, each of us is inclined to grab a fruit from the wrong tree. This syndrome manifests itself in many ways, but the general temptation comes when we say, “life is unfair and I don’t deserve this.”

In light of this psychological phenomenon, it behooves each of us to examine ourselves for a self-revelation: how do we over-treat ourselves when life deprives us of something we think we deserve?

Just Desserts or Just Deserts?

Last year when I had finished the first draft of my book, I asked my friend Janet to proof it for me. One of the first spelling errors she found was the word “dessert.” In a chapter on Israel’s trek through the Wilderness, I misspelled “desert” as “dessert,” giving the impression Israel had travelled 40 years through layers of chocolate cake. The words desert (arid land) and dessert (something sweet after a meal) are distinguished only by the additional ‘s’ in the latter.

In San Francisco, there is a restaurant called “Just Desserts.” The name is a pun, implying they only serve desserts— just desserts; or, the name suggests you deserve a sweet treat—a just reward.

When you are going through a desert experience, you persuade yourself you don’t “deserve” this—you are receiving an unjust dessert. Be careful. You will hear a little voice from your flesh saying “God is just giving me deserts”—just deserts! Or the opposite—you will say “God must be giving me what I deserve”— this must be my just dessert.

Then you will hear a voice “you deserve to treat yourself.” By rewarding yourself you will gain temporary relief. But do not be overtaken by such wrong thinking. Instead consider Jesus: During His worst desert experience, He focused on the joy of presenting His Father a just dessert (Heb. 12:2). Doesn’t our Heavenly Father deserve the same from us?