What does a vacuum have to do with being selfish?

 

Our vacuum has gotten a real work out over the last five years!  When it comes to making a mess, we are hard core in this house.  So after five years our vacuum has been acting up.  It still worked but not as effectively as it did when we first purchased it.  I knew that a new one was in our near future but I planned to use it until it died. 

One night last week after my husband got home from work, he ran out to the store to get some materials he needed for work.  When he walked in the door he had a new vacuum with him.  

 

What was my response?  

Gratitude

Joy

Appreciation

 Thankfulness

Excitement 

No!  I thought to myself...

Why did he get a vacuum without asking me?

I wish that I had a chance to pick it out myself?

Aren't I the one that uses the vacuum 99.9% of the time?

Did we really need to be spending money on a new vacuum right now?

Fortunately I didn't act on those thoughts.  I had a chance to check myself and think it through before I spoke.  I realized how incredibly selfish I was acting.  I thought of the phrase, "first world problems."   I immediately changed my frame of mind to one that was more positive.  I thanked my husband and was grateful for the new vacuum.

 I tried the vacuum out and was excited to see how much better it worked than the old vacuum. I focused on the fact that it was really thoughtful for my husband to surprise me with the new vacuum and to think of me while out shopping.  It was nice of him to buy something for me without me having to ask for it.  

Boy was I being selfish!  I am glad that I was able to readjust my thinking before I spoke!

"Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few."Ecclesiastes 5:2

" I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." Philippians 4:11

Taking Pleasure in the Simple Things: A Sippy Cup

 A sippy cup?  Why would I take pleasure in a sippy cup? 

Bear with me, I will answer that.  

Today was one of those days where it seemed like nothing would go my way.  I woke up with a migraine, I had pain in my right arm where I had lymph nodes removed last year, the house was a mess, Sydney over slept and missed the bus and the list goes on.  

So as I continued feeling sorry for myself, I ran outside to see if there was any money in my car's ash tray. I needed a few singles to give Sydney for her Father's Day sale at school.  I had already searched my "go to" spots: the couch cushions and my husband's pants in the laundry to try and find enough money.  My last chance was the car.  

I have been away in South Carolina for the past four days so no one had driven my car since I left.  It was very hot here in NJ while I was gone.  I looked in the window of my van and saw my son's sippy cup on the seat.  Ugh!  I whispered a little prayer, "please Lord, let the cup have water in it."   I knew that if that was milk that I would be throwing out the cup and smelling the curdled milk in my car/oven for days to come!

I opened the cup to find boiling hot....WATER!  I was ecstatic!  I decided to take that cue and stop complaining about my day and to be thankful for that sippy cup.

I changed my attitude, put a smile on my face and thanked the Lord for the many, many blessings that He has given me!

You can read my previous posts in my "Taking Pleasure in the Simple Things" series here.

Taking Pleasure in the Simple Things: What is that thing?

 Last week I started a new blog series called "Taking Pleasure in the Simple Things."  I began it because I wanted to be purposeful when it comes to gratitude.  It is easier to be thankful for the "obvious" things like health and family but I often forget to express my gratitude for the simpler things. You can read the first post in the series here.

 

For my second post in the series, I am grateful for the thing in the picture above.

  So what is it?

That was my mother's day present from my husband.  Still not sure what it is?  It is the best present ever... my very own air conditioner!

Yes, we have central air, but my bedroom is upstairs and it is never cool enough for me.

I had surgery last year so I am now in menopause and the nights are the worst for hot flashes!  There is almost nothing I can do to get cool enough.  My husband knows how I suffer to sleep so he bought me this air conditioner so I can cool down the bedroom to 63 degrees.  It has helped tremendously in getting me to fall asleep at night.

We live in a townhouse community that does not allow window air conditioners.  So my husband was able to find this one that sits on the floor of my bedroom and can not be seen from the window.

It may not seem like much to someone else but I am so grateful for it.  I appreciate the gift and the giver.

"In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

I Thessalonians 5:18

Taking Pleasure in the Simple Things: In the Backyard

I am starting a new blog series called "Taking Pleasure in the Simple Things."  I want to be purposeful when it comes to gratitude.  It is easier to be thankful for the "obvious" things like health and family but I often forget to express my gratitude for the simpler things.

 

For this first post, I am grateful for this lily.  It is the first one to pop up in our little pond in the backyard.  It is so pretty. It pops open in the morning and by dinner time it closes up for the evening. This lily reminds me of all the labor that my husband put in to create this pond in our yard.

This is the pond when it was first completed

  This little frog loves to sit on the lily pads and soak up the sun during the day.  It is very peaceful to take a minute out of my day and look at the pond and listen to the water trickle over the rocks.

"Consider the lilies and how they grow.  They do not labor or spin.  Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these."

Luke 12:27