gratitude

I read this this morning and needed to share it {original post found here}:

“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”

Philippians 4:11-12 (NIV)

So what’s the secret that Paul learned that would allow him to be content in any circumstance? For me, being content…STAYING content is a daily battle. Some days I can barely stand to look in the mirror at the body that no longer looks like the woman my husband married. Other days I find myself wishing I had more money to buy things for my home. Will this fluctuation in the feelings I experience ever go away? I don’t know for sure if it will leave me forever but I think I’ve found an antidote that will surely bring some relief from this disease.

Gratitude.

Yep, I believe it’s that simple. Oh, it may not be what Paul was thinking when he wrote what he wrote, but for me? It’s the very mindset that is the catalyst to contentment in my life.

On days when I wish I could buy something new for my home, I stop and realize that I have a home. There is devastation all over our world everyday and many would love to have the “little” that I have. On days when I wish I could drop an extra 10 pounds, I stop and remember that there are probably plenty of people who’ve had a lifelong struggle with obesity who wouldn’t mind residing in my body for a while. On days when I wish my kids would leave me alone, I remember that these days are fleeting and one day I’ll wish they were little again.

What area of your life do you need contentment? Are you single and think that marriage will bring you contentment? Do you think that having more material possessions will do the trick? You know the areas of your life where you are not content. Spend time in honest, open dialogue with God about these areas. He can handle it. Your lack of contentment and gratitude is no secret to Him.

Today, you have a decision to make. I do, too. We can choose either to be content and grateful or we can choose not to. And we must choose before we are placed in a situation where we are comparing or complaining or wanting. During temptation is not the time to decide whether or not we are content.