The "Entitlement" Trap

I'm not a huge fan of Oprah's. For those of you who know me well, you are probably chuckling, remembering the times I've called her the anti-Christ. Not because of anything she has done, but because of the power that people have given her: if Oraph says read it....you read it, if Oprah says eat it....you eat it.....
I personally don't believe anyone but God should have such power. But while I was taking my usual vacation after the holiday insanity at The Way Station, I found myself bored and watching Oprah one afternoon and (God forgive me), I liked what I heard.
The episode was about a woman who had tried desperately to get pregnant, going through all of the tests and things that people do for a long time. Then lo and behold, she and her husband conceived and gave birth to a beautiful baby boy for which they were extremely grateful to God.
When he was two, they decided to take a little trip via a commuter plane. The plane crashed, instantly killing the baby she had so longed for and rejoiced over. A week later, her husband died.
The thing that this woman said to Oprah is what really got me. She said she had this thought that if she did everything right, was good, being a good Christian, that God would just bless her and give her all she wanted and nothing bad would ever happen to her.
She realizes now that that isn't how it works. No matter how good we are or bad we are, good things and bad things will happen in our lives. She now lives each day, grateful for the life God has given her, no matter what the day brings.
She had felt an "entitlement".
I deserve good things because I'm a good person.But life isn't like that. Good and bad things happen to good and bad people alike.
I am beginning to see that alot of this comes from the mentality of the country we live in and the times we were born into.
Early on in the 20th century, our country went through some terrible times. WWI, the dust bowl, the great depression, WWII. When we came out of all of these things, I think our country said what I've heard many people say when they experience a hard life: "I'll never let my children suffer like I did."
So we created this world. "Utopia and greed" is how I heard comedian Mort Sol put it.
The suburbs, where everything was neat and clean and looked perfect. No more messes. Think about television in the fifties and sixties. The perfect families who's trials and tribulations lasted a half an hour and were fixed and cured, tied in a pretty bow at the end.
"Father's Knows Best", "The Donna Reed Show", "Leave It To Beaver", ect. We grew up watching these shows, believing that this was how life should be.
If we're good, everything will be "swell". (Isn't that right, Tommy?)
But, what if there's another world. A world where there is trouble that lasts more than a half an hour. Sometimes going on for days, weeks, months, years, even. Does this mean we've been bad? We don't deserve anything good, so this will be our lives?
Is life about what we deserve?
What about our country....now?
"Recession", "downsizing", "bailouts".
The pain and hurt is hitting everyone. Not just bad people, but people who have worked hard all of their lives and now for what?
Maybe we're just thinking about it all wrong.
My husband and I attended a class last year called "Getting Ahead In a Just Getting By World". I think it speaks for itself. It was an excellent time of encouragement and relationships.
One night, the instructor asked "What do you think you should change in your life."
My husband's answer surprised and embarrassed me. But now I see the wisdom in it.
Instead of saying "I think I need a new job," or "I think we should move into a smaller home", "Maybe I should go back to school," or some such thing, he said:
"I think I need to learn to adjust the way I live to my income."
WHAT?
Come on! We need MORE income! I was silently appalled. I think the instructor was a bit speechless. I mean, the whole idea of the class is to "get ahead". Not adjust!
But the truth is, look at what is going on. People who have great jobs are losing them. People with degrees coming out the wazoo can't find employment.
Companies are shutting down and it doesn't matter whether you work in the mail room or the you're the CEO, it's only a matter of time until you're knocked down financially....which in this country effects everything!
So? What if we don't let it effect everything? What if being poor was "swell"?
What if you were financially struggling and thriving.
What if I learned to adjust to not just my financial income, but my emotional, mental, physical and spiritual challenges and somehow I thrived; I was grateful for the life that God gave me no matter what that life was like....easy or hard or painful or mournful.
I do not want my life circumstances to have the power to change me into someone I don't like. Someone negative. Someone fearful. Someone discouraging.
I want to emulate the Spirit of God. Peace, Thankfulness, Love, Graciousness, Kindness.....no matter what piece of "poo" gets thrown in my direction.
I don't want to fall into the trap that I'm entitled to be bitter because life has gotten tough or painful.
And yet.....yet....
I am such an incredible weenie.
I'm human and flawed.
Please pray for me that I could "adjust my life to match my income", whatever that "incoming" is.

Spiritual Eating Disorders

"My name is Carla....and I am an overeater."
I use to go to these meetings back in the 80's called "Overeaters Anonymous" and every meeting you had to introduce yourself that way. This was a twelve step program fashioned after the very successful "Alcoholics Anonymous". Unfortunately, for me, it was NOT very successful.
Eating disorders are no longer a strange thing in our society. Overeating was acknowledged and dealt with, but back in the 70's and 80's many became more aware of other eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia.
But I'm beginning to see that eating disorders have taken on a whole other dimension. That is in the "spiritual" sense. I'm not talking about those church programs that help you lose weight, I'm talking about something different.
"Spiritual Eating Disorders" is what I call them.
For instance, in the past, I have been known to say, (concerning the church I was attending), "I'm not being fed."
I felt I needed MORE! I wanted MORE spiritual food. I was tired of the same old stuff. I had heard it all before and in different ways and felt that the pastors were not doing their jobs in "feeding" me.
I'm beginning to see, now, that I had a new eating disorder. I was a "spiritual" overeater. I just couldn't get enough. God was SO GOOD! (Oh taste and see?) I wanted to taste more of Him. And I blamed the church I was attending for my "lack".
The truth was....I didn't need more teachings. I didn't need better teachings.
It wasn't about how much I was "fed", it was about seeing the food in a different way, with a new responsibility.
I had surely eaten enough. I had eaten teaching after teaching after teaching for over 19 years.
Although, at times, I was given the opportunity to share what God was showing me; I just turned around and began to feed other overeaters....the church.
Instead of taking all this great stuff that God had given me over the years and sharing it with spiritually starving individuals....people who had not partaken of such fare.....non-church-goers, I just continued to shovel the same "grub" into the spiritual mouths of my friends. And most of them did the same.
Even when one of us, or a few of us would step outside of our church bubble to tell people about our Great Tasting God, we kept offering the same recipes over and over and over until people were just sick of hearing the same thing. The God WE were trying to feed them sounded either too bland and boring or He was too "HOT" to handle; smiting everything in His path that didn't look like the rest of the bland and boring Christians that were serving up the food.
Jesus said that we should be "the salt of the earth". We are to add flavor to the world around us. But I do believe that many from the church have lost much of the flavor and are not doing the world a whole lot of good.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, get out of the dining room. Get away from the table. There is too much good "spiritual" food that God has given you for you to just keep it to yourself. The reason you don't feel fed, is because you've probably been fed enough and you need to take what God has given you and share it with people outside of the church who are starving for a taste of how Good God is!
Also, the church is in desperate need of some new recipes. Meat and potatoes or cookies and milk just are not as spiritually nutritious as we once thought. Shake it up! There are ways to serve up the gospel that have a delicious fragrance and satisfying way of showing people who God truly is.
How about it? Do you need fed? Or do you need to ask Jesus to help you try a new recipe?