Land of the Free or Land of the Entitled?

We hold these truths to be self–evident,

That all men are created equal,

That they are endowed by their Creator

with certain unalienable Rights,

That among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men,

Deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

Entitlement is a strong word in our society. It's something that has become extremely prevalent in the news, especially in regards to laws and the government. You hear about law suits all over because someone is entitled to money or property. As America has remained a world power for many years we have also gotten lost in this sense of entitlement (myself included). Some say we are lucky, as if things just happened to fall into place, to live in America. I'd say we are fortunate, as opportunities and hard work have afforded us the freedoms we have today. Yet, we feel we are entitled to even more. If we get what we deserve it was all by our own means.

We are entitled to speak our opinions, no matter the consequences (i.e. hurting others, demoralizing an other's belief's, defamation of our leaders, etc.). We are entitled to living a comfortable life free of hard work and sacrifice. We are entitled to vacations, raises, and pats on the back. Parents feel their children are entitled to straight A's just for showing up to class. A victim is entitled to justice. College-graduates are entitled to a job upon graduating. Certain job positions are entitled to a certain salary. Those who lose their belongings in natural disasters are entitled to reimbursement by the government. I'm just throwing these situations out there, whether right or wrong they are situations of entitlement, no offense intended. If you get offended I recommend reading The Bait of Satan by John Bevere.

Our democratic government is one of checks and balances to prevent a sole entity from having all the power. While this system has "worked" ( I use that term loosely) it has also brought with it certain rights to voters, or rather entitlement. There's the phrase, "you can't complain if you didn't vote." But it's okay to complain, argue, aggressively protest, slander, and be destructive if you did vote, it's your right, you're entitled. HEAR ME when I say, I am very thankful and feel very fortunate for our government and the system that is in place. However, it would be foolish to say it is a perfect system, one better than what God originally planned out. See the Old Testament and Israel's constant struggle with rulers and governments, it's not what God wanted for them.

Our lives are evidence of this right to lay claim. We end up being rear-ended in our car and we feel entitled to have our car repaired; this is after we let the offender know how we feel. We paid for the car didn't we? The other person was the one who messed up, they weren't watching, there should be consequences. We worked hard for 3 months don't we deserve a little vacation time? I've paid my taxes, now it's time they start paying for my medical bills. If I order a Big Mac at McDonald's and instead receive a Quarter Pounder, I have the right to complain, yell, even receive my meal FREE! Afterall, I gave them MY hard-earned money, I'm the customer and the customer is ALWAYS right!

I look at the declaration at the beginning of this post and can agree, that perhaps (now I don't know all of scripture) God does want us to have life (IN HIM), he wants us to be free (THROUGH JESUS' SACRIFICE) and He gives us the opportunities to pursue happiness (BY LOVING OTHERS). But Holy Moly, how did we get on this train of entitlement? What happened to humility and forgiveness? When did this notion of all of our material possessions being OURS come in to play? Where does it say in the Bible that we are better than others and DESERVE more than others?

Another side note: I'm not saying people shouldn't have to have consequences, that's life. Without consequences and laws there wouldn't be much structure to society, in fact I'm not sure we could survive without them.

1 Corinthians 10 "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others." Our sense of entitlement is destructive and unloving. We turn into "me-monsters". There is a lot of scripture where even Jesus himself says that people are deserving of things such as wages, praise, etc. What I'm talking about here is the idea that we deserve more than what Christ has to offer or has promised. Along with the idea of needing more is the idea that we have done this solely on our own, failing to recognize the truth that God has provided for us.

What a humbling experience for both parties if in the event of a crash the victim shows grace to the offender because he/she knows their car is not theirs, it belongs to God, or rather God provided it for them. What a way to love your neighbor; instead of protesting on the corner about a new law, say tax increase, you help out your local school, because God has provided for you. What an experience as an act of worship, to forgive someone who screwed up.

Instead of feeling entitled, try out humility, thankfulness, grace, forgiveness, and love. 1 Corinthians 8:9 says, "Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak." (NIV). So what rights are you willing to let go of in order to build up another? (The Bait of Satan, by John Bevere). "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." 1 Peter 4:8 (NIV).

Daily I am a victim to this destructiveness that is 'Entitlement'. May our hearts be genuine in their pursuit of Christ and may this genuineness be what is portrayed to those around us. Let us stop searching for justice and rewards and start serving and worshipping in humility.