Are you Entitled and don’t know it?

Are you entitled and don’t know it is the topic that will be discussed today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast. Imagine if many of your friends were recently invited on an all-expenses-paid international trip. It is great for them — but you were left out. Of course, your first reaction might be not to rejoice for their good fortune, or delight that they got to enjoy an incredible experience. Initially, your heart might be jealous, hurt, and stinging under a sense of entitlement. You wonder why they were chosen and not you, it’s not like you don’t all know the same people. In fact, you reason in your mind that you do more than they do for God’s kingdom, and if anyone deserved to go it was you. Before you know it, you realize that you might have an attitude of entitlement. Many times, throughout our lifetime, we have moments when we think we deserve more than we actually do, and when we don’t get it, our entitlement siren starts blaring. Watch out because when it does, we often act irrationally — in a way that looks foolish and maybe even childish from the outside. Read James 4:1-12<br /> On the show today, we want to talk about how to recognize our own sense of entitlement, and what steps we can take to surrender it to God. First, we need to understand what entitlement truly is. Entitlement is the belief that we inherently deserve privileges or special treatment, or that we have the right to something. Entitlement shows no partiality; it will reach for life’s greatest gifts and claim its smallest pleasures. When it comes to the big parts of life, we can find ourselves thinking along these lines: “I deserve to have children, so why am I struggling with infertility? After all, aren’t children a blessing from God?”<br /> “I’m tired of being single. I’ve remained pure and sought Christ, so why hasn’t he brought a spouse into my life?”<br /> “I’m such a hard worker. I don’t understand why I still can’t manage to find a high-paying job.” But entitlement can also touch smaller issues: “I’m a good homemaker and work hard to keep the house clean and tidy. I deserve to have a nicer, bigger home.”<br /> “I work so hard to provide for my family. I deserve to watch TV when I come home.”<br /> “I’ve been good with my finances. I deserve to buy what I want for a change.” Paul wrote, “Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am” (Philippians 4:11). “The ‘entitlement mentality is dangerous because it is a threat to contentment.” -Andy Sochor<br /> “As long as our hearts have the entitlement mentality, personal growth in our relationship with God and with others will cease.” -Ray Kim What Are We Entitled To?<br /> There is no question that a sense of entitlement dominates many cultures around the world. If you think about it, it has been that way from the beginning, right back to the Garden of Eden. The issue of Entitlement has been cited by many as one of the major problems in the world, especially in America. “The growing entitlement mentality in America is completely toxic, slowly eating away at our spirits like acid” (David Ramsey). To help us understand entitlement better, we must think of it as a foundation of our sinful nature. And, as you do, look at it in the context of personal relationships, particularly in marriage. If you are single, think about it from the perspective of expectations in a relationship, now and in the future. Russell B. Lemle, Ph.D., is an Associate Clinical Professor in the Dept of Psychiatry, University of California San Francisco. He gives five reasons why we fall into entitlement: You are owed because of y