This is one of my kids favorite scenes of Finding Nemo. The incessant caw of the seagulls just kills them. I’ll be in the other room and out of nowhere there is an outburst of laughter emanating from the living room. It’s quite hilarious, but partially because it depicts our human nature. Selfish, greedy, and entitled.

It seems like the vice of the day is entitlement. Other call it consumerism, but the underlying attitude and correlating actions are anything but pleasant. And that’s the problem. Entitlement isn’t just unpleasant for those around selfish people, it’s actually unpleasant for the entitled person themselves. The entitled person cannot experience two critical things in life:

“None of us would sign up our kids to live their lives without gratitude or joy, yet it’s surprising how many adults live without either. Entitlement does that.”

Carey Nieuwhof

My kids entitlement does not stem from a Pixar movie, although some would want to blame Pixar. And while my entitled attitude certainly doesn’t dissuade my children from mimicking me, that also is not the root of the issue. The problem with my kids (and my) entitlement attitude is our hearts. The heart is a hard thing to change. But I appreciate Carey Nieuwhof offering 3 things to help fight entitlement.

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If you are a parent, these will help you as you raise your kids. But as an adult I have found these 3 super challenging and helpful to curb my naturally occurring consumeristic tendencies. Number 3 is critical in my experience. Which one do you struggle with most? How have these proved helpful to you in parenting or your own life? As always, be with the Lord’s people on the Lord’s Day.

Until Next Time…