It doesn’t take long for children to start wanting something and eventually demanding everything. All of us have seen it play out when kids scream THAT’S MINE!
This me-centered perspective is particularly evident today in the face of 21stCentury relativism, where everything is okay if “no one gets hurt.” It’s a sad farce.
Proof that adults are no different than kids in this regard can be seen across myriad fronts. Just one example is when people think they will suddenly be happy if they got an expensive car or lived in a mansion.
That was me earlier in my life as a stressed-out CEO. I purchased a 500-Horse-power sports car because the one I already had in the garage only took 410 horses to the street; and built a mansion so there would be a long driveway to show it off. What a joke.
Kids and adults alike have become paragons of individualism striving to satisfy every desire by screaming MINE! and insisting they deserve it. God is nowhere in this picture.
The definition of MINE is certainly not limited to material possessions. It can be seen in our relationships and selfish attitude about what our life should look like. It is a misplaced focus on idealized happiness down the road.
It is the “when I have thus and such, then I will be happy” syndrome that comes from rejecting God and taking control of our own lives. The problem is that it never happens. If we are not happy now, we won’t be happy later.
Living a life of “that’s mine!” entitlement leaves us vulnerable to collisions with sin and the disruption of our relationship with God.
For me, I ask God to help me fight off the urge to be boss and prompt me instead to seek his perfect direction and the peace it brings.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
When was the last time you screamed MINE!?
“Hold on to your wisdom and insight. Never let them get away from you. They will provide you with life—a pleasant and happy life.” Proverbs 3:21-22
