It is my goal in 2013 to be content with what we have. It is so easy to start feeling sorry myself. I can get stuck in the "woe is me" mindset.
When I look at social media, I see "friends" that have much more than I do. They talk about buying bigger houses and getting new cars. They have the financial means to "spoil" their children. Their kids have their own rooms. They have good jobs and medical benefits. They don't think twice about going out to dinner or to the movies. Their kids have extravagant birthday parties and tons of gifts. They go on long vacations and "shop till they drop." They seem to "have it all."
I need to take a deep breath and remember that coveting is a barrier to contentment. It is one of the ten commandments:
"You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your
neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey,
or anything that belongs to your neighbor." Exodus 20:17 NIV
I also need to remember that on social media, we rarely see a person's real life. They may act like their life is perfect but in reality are struggling behind closed doors.
I need to be thankful for what I do have instead of focusing on what I don't have. That list will appear in an upcoming blog post.
Another passage to help through those difficult times is Phil 4:11-13 - Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
ReplyDeleteSometime we love to quote that last verse, but we forget the verses that precede it. Paul states that he "learned" how to be content, it was not a sudden, miraculous gift but rather a learning experience, one that taught him how to truly be content.
Praying for you.