Have you read the Persian proverb, "I complained that I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet."? Why do we have such a sense of dissatisfaction? Why are we not satisfied with what we already have? We are so fortunate in this country. Yes, we have poverty, but compared to most of the world, we do not experience the type of poverty that say Haiti experiences. Yet, we constantly complain that we don't have enough. We want more, more, more.
When I was young, the children in my neighborhood played outside all day long in the summer. We rode bicycles, went to the playground, or went to the swimming pool. The only days we did not go outside were the days we had thunder storms. If it was only raining, we were outside making mud pies. In winter, we were ice skating or sled riding. Sadly, many of today's youth sit in front of a computer screen, a smartphone screen or a television screen most of the day. They have X-Box, Wii, Playstation, Nintendo DS, more apps than you can shake a stick at and a myriad of other distractions. They text instead of talk to one another. It drives me crazy when I spend 15-20 minutes in a text "conversation" when I could have had a real conversation that would have lasted maybe 5 minutes. I understand that there is a place for texting and it comes in handy if you are in a meeting and need to give or receive information, but we are losing the art of conversation.
The more we give our children, for which they don't have to work, the more ungrateful they seem and the greater their sense of entitlement becomes. They always want the latest game and when next iteration of whatever unit they have hits the market, they are whining because what they have is now obsolete. My mom had the right idea about teaching my sister and me to invest in the things we wanted. When maxi-coats (I know I am dating myself) were all the rage, my sister and I wanted one so badly, we did the begging and pleading thing. We already had a number of very good coats in our closet, so it was not like my mom was not taking proper care of us. She told us that if we raised half the about of the coat, she pay for the other half. We gladly saved up our allowance money and were so proud when we were able to go to the store to purchase those coats. We took great care of them because we had an investment in those coats. Now we just give our children what they want...even when we really cannot afford to do so. I was guilty of this behavior myself.
How many times have you said to God "I wish I had a better house, car, job, clothes, etc?" Why are we not satisfied with the blessing He has place in our lives already? Sure, your house may need a little work here and there, but you have a roof over your head. One short trip to downtown Pittsburgh reminds me that I am not living on the street or under a bridge. If you want better car, perhaps you can give up the expensive Starbucks coffee, make coffee at home and put the money you save aside in a 'new car fund'.
My goal is to be thankful for the blessings I already have. This is not to say the Lord will not continue to bless me, because He will. As I bless others, He blesses me. As I share openly and honestly on my blog, I pray that I am touching hearts and blessing everyone who has taken time out of their busy schedules to read what I have written.
Acts 20:34-35
34 You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to themen who were with me. 35 In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
Lord, I am so grateful and thankful for all the blessings in my life. My children and grandchildren are healthy, I have a comfortable home, a reliable vehicle, a decent job with great benefits. I have people in my life that I love dearly who love me in return. I am abundantly blessed.
I love you, Lord
Pamela
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