Articles
Blessed or Spoiled?
Blessed or Spoiled?
No one likes spoiled rich people. They act ugly, snooty, and are just ungrateful. They act conceited and better than others. However, before we start pointing fingers, it might come as a surprise that we are more like these people than we think.
When we take a look at our lives, there is no doubt we are all blessed richly. In fact, we are so blessed we don't even know all the ways we are blessed. The more I considered this, the more I wondered if we are really blessed or if we have taken it to the next level and are just spoiled. Some of us are spoiled and don't even know it! So, what's the difference between being spoiled and blessed? The difference is attitude. A blessed person is one who receives what he or she wants but is adamantly gracious and thankful. A spoiled person is one who has everything he or she wants but isn't grateful and expects such exquisite treatment.
In America, many of us have become spoiled. We complain when the room temperature is two degrees higher or lower than we want. We get grumpy because we are hungry since we missed a meal, or sometimes even because we didn't get enough to eat even though we had three meals and a snack during the day. We complain about clothes fading or not fitting just right and sometimes throw them out. Most of us have never gone a single day without food, clothing, and shelter unless we were sick or just chose to deprive ourselves. We have come to expect this exquisite American lifestyle that many people in the world will never experience. God has blessed us abundantly, but sometimes we aren't thankful for what we have because we just expect it to be there. As a result, we become spoiled.
Sadly, these thoughts often cross our minds only around Thanksgiving. For a week or two each year, we right articles, flood Facebook, offer prayers and stop to count our blessings. Then, like the Thanksgiving turkey, these thoughts give their lives to daily living and an attitude of entitlement. That is why is article is running at the halfway point of this year. We need more than one reminder a year that all of our physical and spiritual blessings come from God, even the small ones (Ephesians 1:3; Matthew 6:25-34; James 1:27). As we distance ourselves from the holidays, let's continue to be thankful and not develop a spoiled attitude. After all, many of our blessings can quickly vanish (Job 1-2). Let's always remember to be thankful. We close the beautiful words of 1 Chronicles 16:8-12, and a great example of the right attitude towards blessings: "Oh give thanks to the LORD, call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples. Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; Speak of all His wonders. Glory in His holy name; Let the heart of those who seek the LORD be glad. Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face continually. Remember His wonderful deeds which He has done, His marvels and the judgments from His mouth." --Edited
