“A lenten prayer to avoid entitlement from Richard Rohr:

‘Maybe we all should begin our days with a litany of satisfaction, abundance, and enoughness. God, you have given me another day of totally gratuitous life: my health, my eyes, my ears, my mind, my taste, my family, my freedom, my education, clean water, more than enough food, a roof over my head, a warm bed and blanket, friends, sunshine, a beating heart, and your eternal love and guidance.

To any one of these we must say, “And this is more than enough!'”

I’m sure I’ve posted this before — and it’s a bit early since Lent doesn’t officially start until Wednesday — but this is true no matter what time or season of the year it is. We all need a lesson from time to time in enoughness to avoid the trap of entitlement that so many have fallen into.

I still think if we spent more time giving thanks for what we have, we’d spend a lot less time being envious of those who have what we don’t (and what we think we need). It keeps us from the sin of comparison, which is the thief of joy.

Lord, thank you for all that I have — my health, my home, my family, my friends, my job, my car, and so many other things (not forgetting the grace and love from You that keeps me alive and that saved me). For all these, I say, “This is more than enough!”