not based on performance
Summer Brown & Luke Long
Over time I would realize that I thought I deserved to be blessed because I had tried to honor my parents and keep the principles of God’s word. God wanted to bless me but He wanted me to understand that His blessing was not based off my performance and good deeds.
"The Bible tells us that Jesus is the Word made flesh. I like to think that, in a small way, each of us is also the Word made flesh; that each of us has a story in which the kindness of God is made visible to the world. Think how clear His kindness is in your salvation story. And when you listen to the salvation stories of others, don't you see how unique is the way He captures each of our hearts?"
(Elisabeth in "His Love Stories" at Boundless.org)