We hear so much about entitlements from the government these days, and if you have young people in the family, you have probably thought the same things I have thought.  Did my grandparents feel the same way I am feeling; wondering where we went wrong with the way our children have turned out?  If you have ever watched even one minute of any of the court programs on TV, you are appalled at the excuses the judges have to listen to about the cases. Many of the people who are on the program are kin to each other, and more and more you will see a parent suing their own grown children.  In listening to them, the defendant always has a great story about why the plaintiff should have known that money they gave was a gift, or if something was broken it was someone else’s fault, or that they just didn’t know what they did was wrong. 

        Such excuses show that we have failed to bring up our children responsibly, and have given them far too much, without them understanding what it means to work for things, or be thankful for all we have. Now it is easy to talk about others and what they are doing wrong, because it always makes us look like we know the right thing to do, but let’s go one step further. I have shared in articles before how gracious and generous my husband is with waitresses, even if our service was not the best. When we talk with Christian friends who are with us while we're out to eat, they do not share the same sentiment. They feel that you need to let the server know if your service was not good by giving a small tip. 

        What about our witness? Have you ever been at a sale the day after Thanksgiving, and watched how ugly the people act, especially if there is only one sale item left? What happened to our witness? Did you ever take a class in psychology about how to calm a loud angry person down? We were taught, to speak softly and not to stoop to their level with name calling, etc. Yet, even as Christians, if someone begins to argue with us, we are not interested in bringing honor to God, but instead we want to defend ourselves, or make sure the other person knows how wrong they are? What happened to allowing the Lord to defend us by bringing the problem to God in prayer?

        We need to remember that being first is not what God’s word says is honorable. So many things we do on a daily basis have to do with us thinking we are ENTITLED, just as we see our children act, which we hate. We need to be reminded that IT IS NOT ABOUT US, but it is about us representing Jesus Christ in all we do. 

        So this week, when you are getting ready to get in the check-out line, turn around and see if someone has less than you, and let them go ahead. Or when someone attacks you with those “not so kind words,” remember a gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. (Proverbs 15:1)  Let’s try to start living like we are representing the One who put us first when He took all of our meanness, our bad attitudes and “I want my way first,” and hung them on a rugged cross so we might have a really good life for all eternity!

Until next month, Margaret Anne

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