July 2011 Entries
I was sitting in the car waiting for someone, listening to the radio. I heard several commercials in a row. What struck me was the number of times I heard the phrase, “You deserve…” According to advertisers, I deserve a lot—certain foods, cars, the purchase of services, a break, a vacation, personal wealth, etc. As a Christian, I struggle with this concept of entitlement so heavily promoted in our culture.
I admit, this is a tough area for most of us. Our flesh wants to lash out when we’ve been treated poorly and our culture promotes revenge. But as Christians, there is a clear path to dealing with offense and injustice that doesn’t go along with our flesh or the culture. Personally, I have had to deal with a situation where someone was treated unfairly. So how do you handle an injustice that you can’t address directly?
This week, I hosted a live webinar for the American Association of Christian Counselors on the topic of treating Borderline Personality Disorders. BPD is characterized by pervasive instability of mood, interpersonal relationships, self-image, and behavior. It’s a disorder of emotional regulation problems, often accompanied by self-injury and suicide attempt.
Like you, I have had a few days to reflect on the Casey Anthony trial. I was never angry by what I saw because it was like watching a hemophiliac bleed out before me. This case reminded me of the many inpatient families I have treated over the years in psychiatric hospitals. But in this case, instead of being confidentially treated behind closed doors, the Anthony family dysfunction was daily paraded into our living rooms by the American media.