I’m a PK—a preacher’s kid.

My daddy was a professor, an education counselor, AND a preacher, which means I grew up with teaching stories. Good ones. The kind that sticks with you and impacts how you see the world.

And I love them. Not the preachy, finger-wagging kind. The kind that make you laugh, think, and maybe see something you’ve been taking for granted.

This is one of my favorites. And it’s perfect for right now, when we’re all so focused on what we can see, touch, measure, and control.

The Story of the Scientists Who Thought They Didn’t Need God

A group of scientists made a breakthrough. They’d figured out how to clone life. They’d cracked the code on creating living beings from scratch.

Feeling pretty proud of themselves, they decided to call a conference with God.

“We don’t need you anymore,” they announced. “Yes, you created humanity and all of life from the dust of the earth. But we’ve figured it out now. Science has taken over the job. You can retire.”

God listened. Then said, “Okay. Explain this to me.”

“Simple,” the scientists said. “We can now create life from dust ourselves. Just like you did.”

God said, “Well then, show me how you do it.”

The scientists smiled, confident. They reached down to grab a handful of dirt.

And God said: “Uh, uh, uh. Get your own dirt.”

Why This Story Matters

I love this story because it gets to the heart of something we all forget:

We didn’t make any of this.

Not the dirt. Not the air. Not the sunlight. Not our bodies. Not our beating hearts. Not the people we love.

We get confused sometimes. We start thinking things really belong to us. Our houses. Our careers. Our lives. Even our children, our partners, our friends.

We forget that all of it, ALL of it, is a gift on loan from the Universe.

And when we forget that, we stop appreciating it. We stop seeing how precious it is.

What We’re Really Doing When We Think We’re In Control

Here’s the thing about the physical world: It’s easy to measure. To quantify. To analyze. To control.

We can track our income. Count our degrees. Measure our square footage. List our accomplishments.

And somewhere along the way, we start believing that’s all there is. That’s what we can see and touch is all that matters. That we’re building this life all by ourselves.

But we’re not.

You didn’t create the air you’re breathing right now. You didn’t design your nervous system. You didn’t invent the love you feel for the people in your life.

You’re standing on dirt you didn’t make, breathing air you didn’t create, living in a body you didn’t design, with a capacity to love and create that you didn’t install.

That’s not to diminish what you’ve built or accomplished. It’s to remind you that you’re building it WITH something, not from nothing.

And when you remember that? Everything shifts.

The Gift You’re Living In Right Now

Right now, in this moment:

You have eyes to see these words.
You have ears to hear sounds around you.
You have a heart that’s beating without you telling it to.
You have people in your life—imperfect, complicated, beautiful people—who you get to love.
You have this day. This one, unrepeatable day.

You didn’t earn that. You didn’t create it. You didn’t purchase it.

It’s a gift.

And I don’t say that in some flowery, abstract way. I mean it literally.

Your life, with all its mess, beauty, and complications, is not something you made happen. It’s something you’re living inside of.

What Gratitude Actually Looks Like

I’m not talking about toxic positivity here. I’m not saying pretend everything is perfect or ignore your very real struggles.

I’m saying: Notice what you’ve been taking for granted.

The fact that you woke up today.
The fact that your body is doing a million things right now to keep you alive.
The fact that you have people to love, even when loving them is complicated.
The fact that you get to create, dream, build, and grow.

None of that was guaranteed. None of it is “yours” in the sense that you made it happen.

It’s all a gift on loan from the Universe. From God. From Life. From whatever you call the source of all this.

And when you remember that—when you really sit with the preciousness of having these gifts in your life TODAY—everything you do changes.

You stop taking things for granted.
You stop acting like you have forever.
You stop being so damn entitled.

And you start living in appreciation for the abundance that’s already here.

Your Work This Week

Here’s what I want you to do:

1. Notice one thing you’ve been treating like it’s “yours.”

Your health. Your relationships. Your time. Your life itself.

Ask yourself: Am I living as if I created this, or as if it’s a gift?

2. Practice “Thank you.”

Not in a rote, mechanical way. But really noticing something and saying, out loud, “Thank you.”

Thank you for my eyes that let me see this sunset.
Thank you for my friend who showed up when I needed them.
Thank you for this food that’s nourishing my body.
Thank you for another day.

3. Walk around in appreciation.

Just for one day, move through your life like everything is a gift you didn’t earn and might not have tomorrow.

Because it is.

The Reminder We All Need

You didn’t make the dirt.

You didn’t create the life you’re living IN—you’re just living it.

And that’s not something to feel small about. It’s something to feel grateful for.

Because Fam, when you remember that all of this is a gift? You stop taking it for granted.

You stop acting like you have forever.

And you start living like the precious, temporary, borrowed life you have is worth celebrating.

Today. Right now. This moment.

Because it is.

Ready to live in gratitude and appreciation? [Download my free gratitude guide] | [Listen to the Unlock Your Life podcast] | [Work with me]

P.S. Want support in discovering and building your dreams?

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