Entitlement – kenbarnes.us
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. (Philippians 2:3 ESV)
The Apostle Paul’s attitude is the antithesis of entitlement.
You have probably heard of the little boy who cut the cocoon of an emerging butterfly to lessen its struggle and ended up killing it. We Christians often show compassion without the balance of some painful truth and end up hurting them.
You are not a person to the entitled but a provider. They no longer have time for you if you cease to be their spiritual, emotional, or financial benefactor. Though they tend to tell you they have your best interest at heart, when the chips are down, they operate on the principle of what is in it for me. The entitled are takers instead of givers.
These people are expert purveyors of guilt. They are uncomfortable when you place reasonable boundaries around yourself but have no problem building extensive borders around their lives to make it more comfortable for them. They have a grand deception. They can see selfishness in your life but cannot see it in their own lives. Most Christians want to love and serve, but you cannot meet everybody’s needs all the time. Service should be in obedience to God’s will and call. A need does not always necessitate the call. Needy people often turn from adoration to deep resentment when they realize you are not their answer. They will play the guilt card and accuse you of not caring for them. Trying to fix entitled people is very difficult. David Jeremiah says, “Change takes humility, and entitlement is the worst enemy of humility.”
As a Bible teacher friend says, an entitled person will often have a “leak in their love bucket.” The more caring and love you invest in them, the more they need. They are looking to you to fulfill needs that only God can provide. You will wear yourself out trying to meet those needs. The most loving thing you can do is to say no, I cannot satisfy all your needs. Continuing in that kind of relationship is not love but enabling a problem.
As Christians, we should be compassionate and sometimes long-suffering but saying no to entitled people may be best for you and them.
The image is used by permission from Microsoft.
Ken Barnes, the author of “The Chicken Farm and Other Sacred Places” YWAM Publishing and Broken Vessels through Kindle Direct Publishing.
Ken’s Website— https://kenbarnes.us/
Ken blogs at https://kenbarnes.us/blog/
Email- [email protected]
