Privilege Vs. Entitlement

Daily Gratitude Year 7- Day 362: Today, I am grateful privilege and entitlement are separated by gratitude. 

It is a privilege to live in a country where so many have access to clean water, warm beds and full stomachs. Yes, there is poverty and hunger in the USA, but compared to the rest of the planet... we life with privilege. 

Children are required to go to school. An education is an expectation that a truancy officer will reinforce if it is neglected. For all of its faults, there are programs in place to help provide for the basic needs of those who struggle. Generous souls in every corner of our communities help raise up those who struggle to find ways to make ends meet. 

"What separates privilege from entitlement is gratitude." - Brene Brown 

I love listening to people talk about their youth. So many times I will hear them say, "I didn't know we were poor." Why? Because there was always plenty to eat and enough to share. Mama Ina Mae was one of those who grew up poor, but to listen to her talk... they always set the table for extras because you never knew who was going to stay for dinner from the neighborhood kids. 

Grandma Opal Maxine was a master of making little into much. She made the best meatloaf I have ever tasted. I think I liked it because she used a generous amount of oatmeal. Oatmeal was cheap and it made the hamburger stretch further... and it was delicious. It was generously seasoned with love. My Mama resembles her mother in so many ways. Resourceful, smart and generous... where "there was a will there was a way", and that meant whatever food was in the cupboard and fridge could be stretched to feed another mouth. Milk was the one thing Grandma watched closely. "Milk was for the babies" so the big kids were limited. There was always something else to drink. No one went thirsty. 

Entitlement attitudes are ugly. Privilege is a result of the accident of birth and geography. Gratitude separates the two. Humble gratitude is the opposite of entitlement. True gratitude acknowledges that we are blessed beyond what we have earned or deserve.

  "And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness." -Colossians 2:6-7

Today, I am grateful privilege and entitlement are separated by gratitude.