Louis CK had this great bit on Conan a couple years ago about the magic of flight and WiFi and how we all feel more entitled than ever before in history. You should watch it again:

We’re all quite aware of our #firstworldproblems, but it’s helpful to acknowledge how small they really are sometimes.

A few years ago I heard Rob Bell point out that most of the problems we have are a result of how blessed we are. This observation stuck with me and changed how I viewed just about everything.

I have car trouble because I have a car.

I had to get up twice during the night to take our two-year-old to the bathroom because I have a two-year-old daughter.

I hate the new operating system on my iPhone (iOS 10) because I have a FRICKIN’ iPHONE! (I actually don’t hate iOS, but had to throw that in 🙂 ).

The problems I face in daily life are pretty small compared to the magnitude of the life with which I’ve been blessed.

Bell also tells an old rabbinical tale of two Israelites crossing the Red Sea during the exodus (no, they didn’t walk into a bar, that’s a different tale). As they walk on the sea floor between two walls of water, one begins to complain to the other because his feet are getting muddy (a real problem for the sandal-wearing people of the day). The other complains of the sand between his toes (which we all know is really uncomfortable).

They’re both so concerned with their discomforts that they fail to notice the enormous walls of water on either side of them.

You’ve got first-world problems. I do too. But let’s not forget to occasionally pick our heads up and notice the miracle of the life we’ve been given, and say “thanks”.