The Privileged Life: Sharing the Abundant Life of Daily Gratitude
“Blessed be the Lord my Rock,
Who trains my hands for war,
And my fingers for battle—
My lovingkindness and my fortress,
My high tower and my deliverer,
My shield and the One in whom I take refuge….
I will sing a new song to You, O God”….Psalm 144:1-2, 9a
If you speak of someone as “privileged,” it’s a toss-away label. Pfft. Privileged people aren’t any better than us. They just lucked out by being born in the right place to the right money. Island mansions…yachts…all-night parties…champagne and caviar…mink coats…celebrity status. So what?
But while we practice the reverse snobbery of dismissal, we secretly crave just a few moments in the rarified air of the privileged. We wonder what it would be like to open the front door and find a television crew with a giant check for 10 million dollars. We want all the privileges that come with great wealth.
What if, though, the privileged life is right within our reach? What if every day we can experience the extraordinary in the midst of the mundane? What if there are riches beyond our wildest dreams at our fingertips?
Ann Voscamp has written a popular book called One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are, in whichshe challenges her readers to find joys in unexpected places. Similarly, author/speaker Heather Holleman publishes her Live with Flairblog on how to punctuate daily life with things that are joyful, beautiful, and meaningful (http://heatherholleman.com/blog/).
Inspired by their examples, I’m going to launch my own challenge—to spend the entire month of March 2019 with a goal of finding at least one privilege every day that comes my way. Real privileges. Real wealth. Reminders that God is present with me.
Want to do the same? First, close your eyes. Start from this position of complete darkness…no vision, no light, no color, nothing. We start here every morning, before we wake and greet the day. Ask yourself these questions: What will God show me today about Himself? How will He manifest His glory? What little touch of His beautiful creation will He reveal to me? Where is He giving me HIS joy?
Now, open your eyes…and keep them open all day. Look for God to show up. He will. Look beyond the looming problems, conflicts, irritations. Look past the disappointments, losses, inadequacies. He is bigger than anything Satan can throw at you.
Here’s the first privilege I’ve noticed upon opening my eyes: 10 fingers that work. My fingers have just typed this blog. I have friends who are missing fingers, even entire hands. I have other friends with arthritis so bad that every knuckle is riddled with pain at the slightest move. I can count myself privileged, right?
I have 10 fingers from God to serve Him. Maybe the use of my hands will be gone someday. But right now, I have hands that still work…hands that others may need to bless them.
If you have 10 fingers that are in good shape, give a little shout-out cheer to God. Thank Him for making you so perfectly. Use your hands to give someone else a pat on the back, a high five, a wave, a salute, a cup of coffee. Lift up your open fingers to praise the God from Whom all blessings flow.
Count yourself privileged. And blessed. Just as much as I am. Let’s live this privileged life together with God’s daily gifts!
Holy Spirit, open my eyes every day to seeing Your marvelous works! Your lovely world has so many amazing wonders to discover. You make every day a new beginning, with new mercies, new adventures, new delights. Let me feast on Your blessings, one tiny morsel at a time! Use me to bless others! In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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