Three Spoiled Teenagers

Wow. Today was a big-time epiphany day. Everybody put on your spiritual ears for this one:

Our teenage son and daughter have been wanting to get tickets to the Piano Guys concert in Rexburg this May. They’ve talked about it multiple times a day for weeks now. Tickets went on sale today at 8:15 and Cindy and I thought, “You know, we should get them tickets for their birthdays.” So, we logged in, bought the tickets and when my daughter woke up, we told her they were sold out. She was sad, went downstairs to her room to be alone, and found the ticket printout on her pillow. She was mad at us for a while, and when I asked her how long she was going to be upset, she said she didn’t know and proceeded to log on to the computer and see if there were better tickets than what she got. After finding nothing better, she said, “Oh well. Thanks for the tickets.” and went downstairs to watch a movie. My son’s response was better, but not by much.

I was shocked that I had raised two kids that seemed so unmoved by the surprise. Knowing that we don’t have a bank account that can support impulse buys like that made it that much harder. Most of all, I was just amazed that something they’d been wanting and begging to get for so long was treated more like an postscript for their day(s) and no big deal.

Wow. They do the teenager thing well.

After stewing about my two children doing the spoiled brat routine, I started complaining to the man upstairs about the two of them and in the process I realized I’m the same kind of child to my Father in Heaven. The realization and insight to me were a big eye-opener (children who receive exactly what they’re pleading for and then treating it like it’s no big deal).

Every part of the story above has a similar spiritual commentary on my own life, and I find some consolation in knowing that this seems to be a common theme with so many people throughout history. Not a lot of consolation, but at least I know I’m not alone in my ingratitude. What I did get from that pondering and reflection (and repenting) is a reminder about what it means to be grateful, and how important it is.

How about that? My two teenagers teaching one spiritual teenager such an important lesson (I should remember it for at least a week or two).

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go grab myself a plate of manna…