文濤抓起電鋸朝樹林走去。就在那時，他聽到五歲兒子小康說：「爸爸，等等我！我也要去！」小康抓起玩具電鋸、工作手套和耳罩，跟在文濤後面。文濤在安全的地方，為小康擺放幾根木頭，讓他砍著玩。十分鐘後，小康累得氣喘吁吁。用玩具電鋸來鋸木頭真是一項艱苦的工作！但他很高興能「幫助」爸爸，而爸爸也很高興兒子來親近他。

我們與天父的關係不也正是如此？我們認為自己是在幫忙。「爸爸，等等我！我得去拿我的電鋸！」但對天父而言，我們的電鋸卻是最無關緊要的，我們並非如自己想像的那樣能提供幫助。上帝更在乎的是前半句：「爸爸，等等我！」祂並不需要依賴我們的幫忙。

如果你愛上帝的兒子耶穌，上帝就接納你進入祂的家，將祂的靈賜給你。「你們所領受的不是奴僕的靈，仍舊害怕；所領受的是兒子名分的靈」（羅馬書8章15節，和合本修訂版）。你不是靠著辛勤工作賺取地位的僕人，而是天父深愛的兒女，無論如何都不改變。「你看父賜給我們是何等的慈愛，使我們得稱為上帝的兒女」（約翰一書3章1節）。

我們的天父喜悅我們服事祂，但祂並不需要依賴我們的幫忙，祂只想要我們這些兒女親近祂。

Steve grabbed his chainsaw and headed out to the woods. That’s when he heard five-year-old August. “Wait for me, Dad! I want to come!” Grabbing his toy chainsaw, work gloves, and earmuffs, August followed Steve out the door. Steve set out a couple of logs for him a safe distance away. After ten minutes, August was worn out. Cutting logs with a fake chainsaw is hard work! But he was happy to “help” his dad, and his dad was delighted to spend time with his son.

Isn’t this how it is with our heavenly Father? We suppose we’re helping. “Wait for me, Dad! I need to get my chainsaw!” But our chainsaw is the least important thing about us. We’re not helping as much as we think. God cares far more about the first part, “Wait for me, Dad!” He doesn’t need our output.

If you love His Son, Jesus, God has adopted you into His family and given you His Spirit. “The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship” (Romans 8:15). You’re not a servant who earns his place by hard work. You’re a child who’s loved by your Father, no matter what. “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1).

Our heavenly Father is delighted when we serve Him. But He doesn’t need us. He simply wants us.