Trophies, Talents, and Entitlement

Recently, I have read numerous articles about my generation, known as “generation Y” or “millennials”. Pretty much everything I read regarding my peers boils down to one word, “entitlement”. How did we get this attitude? Well I have my own theory that will have half of you cheering and the other half sending me nasty messages, but either way here it goes.

My generation was probably the first to grow up in the “let’s not keep score and just call everyone a winner” world. I’m not necessarily knocking this idea, and I understand the need for reaffirming children regardless of ability, but the problem is that LIFE DOES KEEP SCORE. Suddenly, when we are thrust into adulthood and the workforce, we quickly find that we weren’t prepared to work hard in order to be rewarded. Growing up, whether we scored every goal in the game or just sat on the bench drinking Gatorade, we got a trophy. “Incentive” wasn’t in our vocabulary list and “work” was the dirtiest of all four-lettered words. 

Starting out in ministry has been a unique experience for me. When I finally gave in to the call to preach, I told God that I would be grateful for every opportunity I had to preach the Gospel. I even told Him I’d preach/teach/sing/stand on my head anywhere the chance presented itself. And I have held true to that word. I’ve been blessed to preach to some smaller crowds, and equally blessed to preach to some bigger ones. I’ve been thrilled to speak on Sunday mornings, Wednesday nights, and Saturdays. I’ve been ecstatic to address full congregations, youth groups, and ladies events. The point is, I love every chance I get to talk about Jesus, whether it is to 1 person or 1,000, regardless of age, social status, or need. 

I was recently disheartened to hear of someone being surprised that I was going to address what they deemed a small congregation. They were shocked and asked if I knew how “small” they were when I accepted the invite. I’m still confused as to why they expected me to reject any invitation. After all, even if I hadn’t made my vow to God to walk through every door, I am still a new minister and am “paying my dues” (although I have enjoyed every step of those dues). 

As I look around at some of my fellow young ministers I realized why that was asked. This entitlement attitude has permeated into ministry! In the same way millennials expect to be CEO’s of Fortune 500 companies when they graduate, young ministers expect to be handed the keys to 300 member churches as their first pastorate. IT DOESN’T WORK THAT WAY! 

Jesus confronted the entitlement issue in Matthew 25 when He told the story of the master who entrusted each of his servants with bags of talents or money.  The master gave 1 servant 5 bags, 1 servant 2 bags, and the last servant only 1 bag. The first 2 servants invested their money and brought back double to the master. The last servant dug a hole and buried his share. He told the first 2 servants that because they had been “faithful in handling the small amount” he would “give [them] many more responsibilities.” But because the last servant had been so foolish with his talents, the master took them away and gave them to the first servant. 

Our culture has taught us that we are entitled to certain things without having to put in the work. But the Lord taught us that in order to be trusted with much; we must be trustworthy with little. He can’t trust you to shepherd 300 sheep if you haven’t proven that you can handle 3 first. He can’t trust me to effectively present the Gospel to a 1,000 people from a stage until I have done it with 1 person on the floor. Lord, forgive us for allowing this worldly attitude to permeate the church. Help us remember that we must prove ourselves trustworthy with little before you can trust us with much.