By David Hegg

Every once in a while, a well-known phrase hits me sideways. When this happens, my weirdness emerges, and as I turn the phrase around in my mind, sometimes something useful results. Let me try one out on you.

What if we understood that being “taken for granted” was a compliment? I know this phrase is typically understood in a negative light. Being “taken for granted” usually means we feel invisible, unrecognized for the good we do, and simply seen as a minor part of the machinery in whatever arena we inhabit. But, wait for it, what if being “taken for granted” was an unspoken recognition of positive virtues and accomplishments? What if being left on your own to get the job done was an acknowledgment of superior personal qualities and achievement?

It occurred to me there are many things in my life I take for granted, but in a positive sense. I am deeply dependent on their unheralded reliability, even as they are entirely taken for granted. For example, I take the electricity in my house and the church campus for granted. When I flip the switch, I expect the lights to shine. At home, I take for granted that the water will run hot, cold, or mixed when I engage the faucets and shower. Several times a day, I expect that my car will........

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