Spoiled by T. L. Wiens

I was at the house of an elderly couple. The husband had a severe infection in his leg and the wife was worn out from looking after him. Their daughter came under the guise of helping out Mom and Dad. The husband had a guest and was busy visiting in another room. The wife fell onto the chair next to me and leaned up against the table, gasping for breath. (I was blocked behind the table.) She’d aged ten years in the two weeks since her husband got sick.

Their daughter emerged from the room where the husband was visiting. “Mom, the men need coffee.”

Mom waved her arm and pointed in the general direction of the coffee pot. “It’s right there.” She was too tired to get off her chair.

The daughter stared at her mother and then at the coffee pot before returning to the other room. A few minutes later, she again demanded her mother to come fill the coffee cups in the next room. Finally, the guest came into the kitchen, grabbed the coffee pot and served the coffee.

I wish this was a fiction story but it’s not. When I look at this forty something year old daughter, I’m disgusted at her behaviour. But she’s only acting out from her upbringing—she’s spoiled.

I’m visiting a church. We are asked to sing a last song as a means of ending the service. The worship leader apologizes because this is a youth focused service and this last song will be a hymn. I’m shocked and appalled that there would be that much intolerance to singing a worship hymn simply because it was a hymn. But the people are just following the lead of the decision makers of this church body.

I fear for the church that has become like a spoiled child. The Bible says in Proverbs 13:24,

“Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them.” Discipline? The church cannot even tolerate singing a song that may not fit their style.

Spoiling is not loving as we see in Proverbs. The end result will be the same for both the elderly couple and the church—selfish children, demanding when they should be serving. From I Corinthians 13, we know love is the greatest gift. Jesus demonstrated His love for us by dying on a cross while we were still sinners. How can a spoiled generation find Truth when preoccupied with self-indulgence? How can we as writers help bring love back into focus in the church?