If only we had such a spacious kitchen...
Life would be lovely if we had a cute little pot bellied stove like that...
I'd love a stripy bathroom too...
We could fit two children in each of those bedrooms...
That garage would make an amazing craft room...
Its the age old problem of contentment... or lack of it. The belief that if only I had all those things my life would be so much more enjoyable and fulfilled. And all too often, my response to this kind of feeling is to do...
When we get home, I'm going to declutter the entire house...
I'm going to buy a few more scented candles...
I'm going to paint the dining table and cover the chairs...
I'm going to get a serious storage solution for the girls toys...
The problem is, that doing doesn't get to the root of the problem. If I had all those things, and did all those things, would I be happy? Would my life be as perfect as I think it would?
No.
I know for a fact I'd then be wanting a bigger garden, an extra bedroom, a loft conversion... insatiable dissatisfaction.
And that's why I can't believe that things will make me happy. They won't. There will always be one more thing. Instead, I need to remember that satisfaction and contentment are only found in God, that I have so much to be thankful for... That my little lot in life is exactly what he has intended for me, and that my dissatisfaction is not meant to make me long for more stuff, but instead to long for him, and the "life in all its fullness " that he offers.
So instead of wandering round my cousins houses with green eyes jealousy, I'm going to thank God for my little terraced house with all its clutter. I have so much. I am so blessed. Life is full and God is good.
Well said! It's hard to be grateful for what you have and not get filled with envy for what others have.
ReplyDeletehttp://asaucystitch.blogspot.co.uk/
I needed to read this today! I have been so guilty of feelings of 'if only' at the moment and this was the reminder I needed that those are just things and now where my true happiness and contentment come from :) xx
ReplyDeleteYou make a very good point. I did a Sunday School lessons for the older kids at my church about this very thing. That everyone has a space in their heart for God, whether they know it or not, it's there. We try to fill it with things, or relationships...but the only thing that will fill that God shaped space... is God Himself. The sooner we figure out, the better our life will be.
ReplyDeleteI struggle with that everyday in a way... not necessarily wanting things, but it's more about seeing people that are happily married, and wondering when it's my turn. It's hard to be a single Christian woman in a couple's world. I know my turn is coming... but I know that God wants me to be satisfied with Him in my life first. The only One who can "complete" me is Jesus Christ... and when I realize that, my other relationships (no matter who they're with) will be blessed b/c Christ will be at the center!
Thank you for sharing this thought with us! Be blessed!