The tabloids are full of “Tiger Woods” stories these days—of course, so are the mainstream newspapers and television news programs. The jury is still out as to whether or not the public will accept his apology issued during his tightly controlled press conference. The word that stuck out in my mind as I listened to excerpts of the broadcast was that of “entitled.” Tiger Woods felt that his hard work and fame as a golfer had entitled him to all the pleasures that he desired. The reason this word stood out for me in the broadcast is because people who would never think of cheating on their spouses, nor commit other major moral lapses, view themselves as “entitled.”
Television commercials scream “entitlement” every time use such phrases as “you’ve earned it.” This has become the new sales pitch for most of the last decade because psychologists have discovered that Americans want to feel like they deserve the “good life” . . . but have we? To what are we entitled?
Jesus had a number of sayings regarding this issue:
“But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.” [Matthew 19:30]
“No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” [Matthew 6:24]
“whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, 27and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; 28just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” [Matthew 20:26b-28]
I could go on with yet other passages because Jesus proclaimed a counter-culture Gospel (“good news”). He paid attention to the least, the last, and the lost, and at points, heaped scorn on the “top dogs” of his society.
You and I must work to root out the notion of entitlement that has been subtly instilled in us by our culture. If we do not, then our ruin will be just as sure as that of Tiger Woods. I pray that his confession and contrition were genuine . . . for so ours must be.
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