You’ve seen it, I’ve seen it, we’ve all seen it. The life lessons that are taught on the cereal aisle at the grocery store. I served my time in the grocery industry, I know the tricks of the trade. The sugary cereals are placed a little lower, just about the eye height of the youngsters. The production companies then hire crack marketing teams to develop and perfect colorful logos and spoke persons, usually bright and vivid animals. And then it’s off the races. Toddlers take a trip to the market with Mom and then they see it. What they have been waiting for their entire lives. A box of sugar coated oats with a big tiger on the front. Life is now complete. They need that box. You know what happens next, if the mom or dad says no, the kid lays on the tiled floor of that store and proceeds to do their best impersonation of an octopus thrown on hot pavement. The decibels reach the heavens and everyone in the store cranes their necks to see the spectacle. Oh, the drama.
Somewhere along the way, we’re supposed to mature. After we hit our twenties we are supposed to grow out of this perplexing behavior. But folks, I’ve got news for you…apparently not very many adults on this planet got the memo. Just look around our world today. The adult behavior you see today is enough to make you think that the streets of the world are lined with Fruit Loops. The only difference though is that adult tantrums get a lot messier than just wallowing on the floor of aisle 13.
A man in New York City was displaying signs showing his support of a political candidate in the windows of his store, another adult threw a tantrum in disapproval, and shot him in cold blood, he was left to die on the sidewalk. An innocent man is driving home from work and is pulled from his car and viciously beaten by a group that is blocking the highway as they “peacefully protest” for social justice. Men and women that are trying to live peaceful lives are pulled from their homes and tortured and imprisoned for their spiritual beliefs by dictators that seek not control, but in a tantrum, absolute and total control. Tyrants that have illegally seized control of small countries, deny the people food and water, attempting to starve them into submission, their tantrum causing death upon death. Folks, the adult tantrums are ever present, and they are so ugly to witness.
So, what really is the base behavior of the tantrum? Some Harvard psychologist would hand you a thesis as long as a Texas Summer, but I think I can sum it up in much fewer words.
Adult tantrums = Intense and uncontrollable selfishness. I want what I want. I want what I want when I want it. No one can tell me I can’t have what I want. And…I will do whatever I need to do to get what I want. I wonder if Harvard would award an honorary doctorate for that 43 word thesis?
The general idea is a life that has never matured in dealing with word no. They have been allowed to possess everything that they have ever desired. As a result, we get lives that are willing to throw tantrums at the drop of a hat. The tantrum being the way to show the world that they are different. I mean come one, every 4-year-old in the store wants that same box of Count Chocula, I know I did, but not all kids flopped around the floor like they just got thrown into a cactus. So somewhere in life, a change occurs for some. They grow, mature, and understand what it means to not be able to secure all they want. But without this lesson learned, lives will continue to protest a world that will not give them what they think they deserve.
And just when you thought you could not find everything in the Bible, we find the perfect example of an adult tantrum. And surprise, guess who? Yep, good ol’ Ahab and Jezebel. Right next door to the royal palace sits a beautiful vineyard. I mean this thing was Disney cartoon quality. The birds happily did chores and the squirrels helped pick the grapes while a perfectly pitched princess sang the day away. (authors note: this part is NOT in the Bible) Anyways, it was a really nice piece of land and Ahab wanted it. Badly. He goes over to the owner, Naboth, and offers to either buy it or trade him another vineyard for it. Now remember that under the Israelite law of this day, your family land was considered gifted by God and you were not to sell it. (Leviticus 25:15, 25:23, 25:25; Numbers 36:7; Ezekiel 46:18) Naboth, loved the land that God had given he and his family and his intentions were to care for it and see it bless many generations of his family to come. As a result, Naboth soundly refuses Ahab. Uh-oh…cue the adult tantrum.
“So Ahab went home, sullen and angry because Naboth the Jezreelite had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my ancestors.” He lay on his bed sulking and refused to eat. His wife Jezebel came in and asked him, “Why are you so sullen? Why won’t you eat?” He answered her, “Because I said to Naboth the Jezreelite, ‘Sell me your vineyard; or if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard in its place.’ But he said, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’” Jezebel his wife said, “Is this how you act as king over Israel? Get up and eat! Cheer up. I’ll get you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.” 1 Kings 21:4-7
Wow. God gives us a clear example here that the adult tantrum has been around for 2,873 years. Ahab sulks, he pouts, he refuses to eat, he complains to others. He whines, he makes a public display, and he has a pity party and invites everyone to come that will. You see an adult tantrum is a very public affair. You’ll never see anybody throwing a tantrum in private. Part of the tantrum is to show the world how worthy you are of said thing. Well, we also see here who wears the pants in the family, Jezebel concocts an evil plan to get her husband the vineyard and it will chill your spine. We see that Ahab is evil, but weak and childish. But folks, when you look at the heart of Jezebel, you see one that is evil yet also strong, smart and relentless. Jezebel is one of the most evil character we behold in all of God’s Word.
So, if you’re prone to adult tantrums, what do you do? Well, first of all know that you’re not going to get all that that you want. In fact, I’ll go a step further and say that you don’t even know what’s really good for you. God does. Throughout my life some of the biggest blessings has been what God has not given me. Despite my prayers, begging and attempted Godly manipulation, He knew what was best for me, I didn’t. You have to let go of the thinking that you know best and that God is on the sidelines just cheering you on to go get whatever your heart desires. But really, for this to happen, you have to back up and look at your heart. To whom does your heart belong to? Who sits on the throne of your heart? Do you occupy that big fluffy red velvet throne, or do you humbly step aside and ask God to take that seat? That folks, is the difference in the behavior you see on aisle 13.
If you’re ready to allow God to sit on that throne, step down and ask Him. He is faithful to respond to all that ask Him. (Romans 10:13) He will do amazing things once you give him that seat in your life. And as you do, you will notice a different world open up to you. You will no longer be fighting for what you think you deserve, but instead, God will give you all that you never knew you needed.
God’s rich blessings to you as you seek His best for your life today.
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