What Am I Entitled to?

I think it is safe to say, that if you have a pulse and are an adult, you have more than likely had at least one conversation discussing how "entitled" kids today feel they are, and how it is such a shame that we all have to deal with their attitudes because of it.  It is a problem…but it has made me wonder what I think I am entitled to.  Kids don't just make things up.  They learn their behaviors somewhere, and as much as it may kill us to think they are learning these things from us adults…THEY ARE!  The same goes for bullying, but that is a whole other post for a day when I'm not in danger of writing about it and being a little too opinionated (aka sassy).

So, I have been thinking this week, what exactly am I entitled to?  What do I think I am entitled to that I am really not?  

I have this habit, maybe more of a knee-jerk-reaction, of "just stopping to get something to eat" when I am out and about, because it is just more convenient than driving all the way home and fixing something and then driving all the way back out to finish what I am doing.  Besides, I earned this money I am about to spend, so that means I can do whatever I want with it…right?  

Does anyone else spot the extreme justification going on in there?  Every word of it is justification.  The truth is, I have food at home that is better for me and it will not cost me anything extra.  The only thing it will cost me in the end is a little delayed gratification.  Do I have to eat something at that exact moment?  No, usually I am justifying the situation because the clock says it is noon, and I just happen to be a block away from a place to eat.  Is it going to kill me to wait until all my errands are done, to then go home and fix myself something to eat?  No.  Did you know that  "no" can be a complete sentence?  And, if I know I am going out, and it is going to take quite a bit of time, I am perfectly capable of taking something with me to eat along the way.  

As I have monitored my thoughts lately, I have found that a huge portion of them are justification.   It goes back to my last post.  How long can rolling waters remain impure?  Stagnate waters are breeding grounds for filth.  What is justification if not just another reason to not do the right thing?  Am I keeping my thoughts rolling in a healthy and righteous direction by praying constantly, singing or listening to  hymns or other uplifting music, memorizing and citing memorized scriptures, poems or other uplifting and virtuous things? Or am I letting my mind just be stagnate, listening to music that is not uplifting, or obsessing about how someone annoyed us, or spending hours on social media?  Our mind is a living thing.  If it is not busy living, it is busy dying.  

So, I guess back to the original question?  What am I entitled to?  As a child of God, I am entitled to…nothing but my own will.  Because of the laws of eternity, I can expect blessings when I act righteously, but consequences are not entitlements.  Besides that, The Lord blesses us just for living, and then on top of that, he blesses us when we do what is right, so we are always in debt to Him.  WE ARE ENTITLED TO NOTHING…but our will.  That is all we have.  That concept has really pestered me all week this week. 

My wonderful friends have been letting me use their truck as I have been down here, and the registration expires in 4 days.  I have been frantically looking for another mode of transportation thinking that I have to have something, and that I actually deserve something to get around in.  You simply cannot not have a vehicle here and survive.  Justification.  I am not, just by virtue of being a human being living in Logan, Utah, entitled to a vehicle to drive.  Yet, our society believes this lie so much, that we are willing to go into debt up to our ears to get the things we truly believe we are entitled to.  It just so happens that I have many options of transportation around here.  Cache Valley has a really great bus system here, and I have had more than one offer of bicycles to get me around.  Is it ideal? No. Is it going to take more effort on my part? Yes.  Am I entitled to anything more? Absolutely NOT!

How do we get our kids to stop being entitled spoiled little brats?  We stop justifying our own ridiculous actions and teach them that delayed gratification is not going to kill us, and in fact, it is a good thing a lot of the time.  We stop blaming everyone and everything else for our children's core beliefs and start looking at our own core beliefs.  We stop believing the old "do as I say not as I do" saying and start being accountable for our own actions as the best way to teach our children to be the amazing adults we would like them to become (once again that goes for bullying too).

So, what have you believed you are entitled to?  What do you do to keep your mind rolling in righteousness?  How has your example helped or hindered your children's attitudes?  I would love to hear your comments.