Help me to not be ungrateful.

That’s a good prayer to pray in a gravel driveway, out by the porta potty that we’ve rented to take some of the discomfort out of a messed up septic system.

I called the insurance company this afternoon, and in spite of what I was told earlier, the repair to the system won’t be covered, even in part, by our homeowner’s policy.

So….it’s a freak-out.

Now, this whole “not be ungrateful” could be rephrased as “help me to be grateful”.

That’s an easier way to say it.

But….I think that praying to not be ungrateful hits the mark a little better than the other way of saying it.

Ungratefulness is an active thing.

Ungratefulness is more damaging, somehow.

Nobody here is hurt or ill.

We’re dry at night and have good food to eat.

We have friends who can help us fix this issue.

There isn’t a reason in our world to be ungrateful.

I have a lot of strong reasons to accept that I really do live in a state of grace.

That’s why I find myself standing in our gravel driveway, eyes closed, praying to recognize that I need to guard my heart against a temporary loss of focus.

I need to pray not to be ungrateful