We don’t find the word pout in Scripture, but people pout when they don't get their way.(1)
It's a mixture of anger and self-pity along with a heavy dose of pride. It starts with the "silent treatment" but usually includes some rude remarks and whining along the way.
I've met a few immature adults who unashamedly pout in front of friends, but most of us reserve that bad behavior for home and family.
Paul wasn’t addressing pouting when he wrote the verse below:
“When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.” 1 Corinthians 13:11
But he was talking about spiritual maturity, and part of spiritual maturity is growing up in our relationships.
Pouting is arrogant, manipulative, and destructive. For some people, setting boundaries or cutting off contact is a form of long-term pouting.
If you have trouble with pouting, self-pity, or anger, ask the Lord to help you grow up (2 Corinthians 5:17; Colossians 3:12).
And check out today's Bite Size Bible Study, Acting Maturely.
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(1) Actually, I discovered that the New Living Translation uses the word pout in Judges 16:15 to describe how Delilah acted when Samson wouldn't tell her his secret. I think that's a fitting use for the word.
Your comment on Boundaries is a form of pouting, I have to say I disagree with you, I believe we must have set boundaries with people in our lives who are toxic for us, in order to stay healthy, and by either limited contact or no contact, Not Pouting!!
ReplyDeleteYour Comment on boundaries is a form of Pouting, I have to say I disagree with you, we all have unhealthy toxic people in our lives that we Must Limit our interaction or cut all interaction with because of their toxic behavior, for our own mental and or physical health. To say it's a form of Pouting I think isn't a very wise thing to say, as someone could read that and think they were wrong in setting the necessary boundaries they needed to and end up being hurt by that statement!!
ReplyDeleteHi Marilyn 2Horses,
DeleteYou are equating pouting with biblically examining a false teaching. They are very different things. Christians are commanded to examine false teachings.
This is not an article about Boundaries, but in the articles I've written about Boundaries I have clearly explained that people who are in physical danger or who are dealing with criminal or drug addicted family members may need to set some reasonable boundaries.
But I have also explained, using multiple Scripture passages, that setting boundaries to protect our egos from difficult family members is contradictory to the commands, promises, and warnings in Scripture. All one needs to do is read Romans 12. That single chapter in the Bible clearly refutes the practice of setting boundaries to protect our ego.
Part of growing in our faith is dealing biblically with difficult situations and difficult people. With some rare exceptions, the Boundaries teachings as Presented by Henry Cloud and John Townsend encourage us to avoid difficulties and difficult people. They also encourage us to blame our problems on family members. Cloud admits that his greatest influences are Freudian psychology and that is what he presents in his books. He misuses and misapplies Scripture to present these Freudian principles, but they are not biblical.
Some boundaries may be appropriate for certain types of relationships such as unwholesome friendships or unwholesome dating relationships, but not for family relationships. God places us in our family and He expects us to do our very best to honor our parents and deal graciously with our other relatives.
Jesus forgives us and doesn't shut us off when we do annoying things. If we are going to represent Christ to our family, we will not shut them off when they do annoying things. There are appropriate biblical ways to deal with bad relationships. The teachings of Boundaries rarely follows those biblical directives.
I have a complete Boundaries collections which examines a variety of Boundaries website articles and books using direct quotes from their materials. I have been prompted by the Lord to expose the popular teachings of boundaries for what they are, and I will continue to do so.
Such a good post! It's spot on, in today's culture especially. I'm reading a book by Dr David Jeremiah, called "Where Do We Go From Here?" He addresses so many things happening in our time and culture right now. To me your post fits right in with what I'm reading in his book. God bless you and thank you for your input!
ReplyDeletepouting is a bad habit that was not corrected from early age. Children does this to get their way.Some parents find this cute, they give in to their children and give them control and power, some parents dont and explain to them consequences if they get their way or discipline them to decipher between right from wrong. Proverbs 22:6 says "Train up a child in the way that he should go; and when he is old he will not depart from it. It's just too sad what happens to the child that wasn't corrected in that he will bring this in the society, relationships, and thus other people will have to deal with this person.... maybe he will get corrected maybe not. This situation is an example of only prayers will work.
ReplyDeleteHi Lola, I agree that parents giving in to a pouting child cause that child to be spoiled, but once that child becomes an adult, he/she is fully able to respond without pouting and fully responsible for his/her pouting. We too easily blame parents for adult children's sins, and that gives the adult child another reason to pout instead of growing up.
Deletesad but true
ReplyDelete