When was the last time you considered your life to be a privilege? This morning, as I stood in front of the mirror, preparing to put makeup on and dreading it, I realized that it is a privilege for me to get ready each morning. It is a privilege to walk, drive, go to work, pays bills…yes, even pay bills. It’s a privilege to listen to your dramatic teenage daughter cry about a boy, because it means that you were blessed with children; a privilege denied to many. It’s a privilege to drive that 12 year old car you have because it means that you are able to drive; many people do not have the physical ability to drive. Do you know how many people would love to have the life you have? Yet, we are not satisfied.
We complain about the size of our waist, the color of our hair, the size of our homes, the person who offices next to us. What would you think of your office neighbor if you knew they go home alone every evening because they lost their spouse to cancer? How would you feel about that mortgage payment if you considered how many people don’t have warm homes to go to each night? How beautiful would you consider your hair color if you considered what it would be like to not have hair? When I began to consider simple things in my life as a privilege, rather than a right, my perspective changed. I began to see how truly blessed I am. I honestly have everything that I need in life, I do not lack anything. One of my favorite quotes is, “Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.”
My student loan debt is now something that I consider to be a privilege. It is a privilege for me to have obtained both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree. I used to feel sorry for myself because I put myself in so much debt to get them. What I lost sight of, is the privilege of my education. It is a privilege for me to be college educated, the how I obtained it is only negative if I allow myself to think of it in that manner. My loans are a privilege because they afforded me an opportunity to pursue a dream shared by many who never saw that dream come to fruition. I did. I fought hard for those degrees. Do I owe money because of them? Sure. But I’ve owed money for worse things than an education.
The beauty in our life, lies in our ability to see our lives as beautiful. If you truly stop to evaluate the things in your life you will begin to see the privilege. This world owes us nothing. It is not our right to have a certain kind of lifestyle; full of things and free of heartbreak. I am even learning to see heartbreak as a privilege because it means that I was given the beautiful opportunity to love and be loved by another human being. Perspective matters my friend, consider the privilege in your own life and you will begin to see your life differently.
What are areas of your life where you see privilege?
