I was thinking this morning how it is so ingrained in our human nature to lament what we don’t have. Why is that? Why are we not content?
We see someone with a bigger house, a nicer car, a newer phone….and we wonder why we are “stuck” with what we have. Why can’t we win the $567 zillion lottery and just while away the time? I picture Tevya in my mind (Fiddler on the Roof) dancing and singing, “If I Were a Rich Man…”
But if you think about it, most of the improvements you have made in your life have come because you were uncomfortable, because you needed to make a way to obtain something you didn’t have.
You have heard it said that ingenuity is the mother of invention. Think about the times you had to put things together in order to reach a goal where you really had to work at earning that finished product. Did you enjoy it more in the end, have a greater feeling of satisfaction than if it was just handed to you?
I dare to say that in the United States (and many, many places around the globe) we are blessed beyond measure, and certainly far beyond our deserving. We take many things for granted.
Do you have good health? You are indeed wealthy. Did you sleep last night in a warm home? Many are losing their homes all across the US…while abroad many are living on the ground or in tents, if they’re lucky. Do you have enough food for today? Many do not.
The Lord’s Prayer says, “Give us THIS DAY our daily bread.” I have thought about that many times, as often it seems like I have enough to meet every need for just that day, just that moment in time. I’m not sure if I will have the things I’m in need of tomorrow, as God only knows what will happen then. But for THIS DAY…I have what I need. (Maybe not what I WANT, but certainly what I need.)
And for that I am grateful.
Philippians 4:1, “Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved.”
Signed,
– Flore’s Grateful Heart
