When we follow Gods commandments Satan loses power. We literally bind his ability to tempt us to commit sin... Now some may ask "but isn't entitlement a sin?" To this I will say... Most definitely and I feel that it is one of the most dangerous. When we follow Gods commandments we tend to see and feel the Good word of Christ filling our lives... All the sudden abstaining from the larger sins in life is a no brainier; stealing, killing, cheating, breaking the Sabbath, etc... We avoid the larger sins at all cost because they speak danger to us from miles away. But what about the smaller but no less important sins like lying, entitlement, jealousy, and judgement? Do these not matter? No, in fact I feel that they sometimes matter more because they can be the gateway to bigger sins ("oh what's a little lie now and again going to do?")
In my life I have done everything right... (cliche saying I know... but really) I worked hard all through high school, I went to college, I never slept around, I never partied, I went to church every Sunday, I went on a mission, and I continually try and better myself.... so now comes the tricky "staying away from entitlement part"... with all of these life events in mind it has been soooo easy for me to look at myself and say: "what did I do to deserve this? I don't deserve to not know where I am headed in life, I don't deserve to be single at almost 25, I don't deserve to have a little sister that I love choose drugs over her family, I don't deserve to have my perfect and wonderful family fall apart for reasons I don't know ." Is this true though... do I really not deserve all these things?
Did Christ our Lord and Savior deserve to have nails driven through his hands and feet? Did he deserve to have his best friend that was like a brother to him deny him? Did he deserve to be betrayed by another he loved? Did he deserve to die...
I emphatically declare no! He did not deserve these things... because He is the son of God and he is perfect! Now I am a daughter of God and he loves me... but am I perfect? Far from it.... so how in the world can I think "I don't deserve this" when the most amazing man to walk this earth didn't deserve what he endured. How can I think "I don't deserve this" when my challenges don't even scratch the surface of what the savior went through? I completely deserve this...I signed up for this... I welcomed the possibility of challenges in the pre-mortal world. So where does my woe and forelornement fit in?...
Not only is entitlement tricky and sneaky... But it is also suffocating. When we get into a spirit of I deserve this we come up empty. We struggle for air to breathe and we feel so lost. I've been there. We all have. It doesn't have to be this way though. Instead of seeing our trials as unfair and cruel we can change our perspective. President Uctdorf gave a talk this last general conference that beautifully outlines how we can change our perspectives and find happiness in trials:
“There is enough that doesn’t go right in life, so anyone can work themselves into a puddle of pessimism and a mess of melancholy. But I know people who, even when things don’t work out, focus on the wonders and miracles of life. These folks are the happiest people I know.”
“But,” Eva said, “you can’t just flip a switch and go from sad to happy.”
“No, perhaps not,” Aunt Rose smiled gently, “but God didn’t design us to be sad. He created us to have joy!3
So if we trust Him, He will help us to notice the good, bright, hopeful
things of life. And sure enough, the world will become brighter. No, it
doesn’t happen instantly, but honestly, how many good things do? Seems
to me that the best things, like homemade bread or orange marmalade,
take patience and work.”
God created us to have JOY! Hold on to that promise! Now that is something that we deserve... no entitlement involved.
