Generosity is the penicillin to entitlement.[1]
Apathy is the result of discouraging engagement.[2]
Humility is a demonstration of love.[3]
The significance of a national holiday for Thanksgiving is the resulting awareness of our human tendency toward selfishness. What other time of year are we more keenly aware of the needs and plight of others?
As I see it:
Entitlement is a demand for what one perceives to be his/her personal right–it’s a form of arrogance;
Apathy is indifference, or a lack of concern, or unresponsiveness–it’s a form of self-focus;
Humility is thinking of others as better then oneself–it’s a form of selflessness.
Cardinal Dolan singled out generosity as a needed “penicillin to our culture of entitlement” stating that it is entitlement “that is avalanching all of us.” What if those who operate from entitlement actually considered the rights of others more than their own?
Dave Meslin addressing apathy in our cultures said, “We live in a world that actively discourages engagement by constantly putting obstacles and barriers in our way.” What if we made a point of encouraging others instead of considering their success a personal threat?
The Bible, in Philippians 2:3 states, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” Clearly, humility is a demonstration of love.
Humility is “a freedom from arrogance that comes from a recognition that all we have, and are, comes from God”[4] Humility motivates people to focus on others and God, more than self.[5]
Love can only be expressed from a heart of genuine humility. As I’ve said many times before, the opposite of love is not hate–it’s selfishness.
Thanksgiving time is a season when we pause to realize our many blessings. It’s a time that causes us to think of others with hearts of gratitude. It’s a time when we are more inclined to demonstrate love for our fellow-man. But what if we found a way to live from the Thanksgiving Perspective everyday? Isn’t this what God wants us to do, especially as Christians? Why wait until the New Year to make a resolution? Why not resolve now to let Philippians 2:3 be our daily guide?
Entitlement and apathy would surely be dissolved in a culture of humility.
I wish all of you a very blessed Thanksgiving and a richer, more fulfilling life lived-out as Christ exampled for us all.
Pam
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