BE CONTENT WITH WHAT
YOU HAVE
Hebrews 13:5
“Make sure that your character is free from the
love of money; being content with what you have; for He Himself has said: ‘I will
never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.”
“Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to
be content in whatever circumstances I am.
I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live
in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being
filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who
strengthens me.”
Often it seems that it doesn’t make any
difference how much we have; we just keep expanding our list of desires, which
guarantees we will remain dissatisfied.
The mind-set that says, “I will be happy when this desire
is fulfilled” is the same mind-set that will want something else when
that desire is fulfilled. It seems that
even if we get what we want, we still remain unhappy. Happiness cannot be found when we are
yearning for new desires.
Luckily, there is a
way to be happy. It involves changing
our way of thinking from what we want to what we have.
¨ Rather than wishing
your spouse were different, try thinking about his/her wonderful qualities.
¨ Instead of complaining
about your salary, be grateful that you have a job.
¨ Rather than wishing
you were able to take a vacation to
The list of
possibilities is endless. Each time you
find yourself falling into the “I wish
life were different” trap, back off and
start over. Take a breath and remember
all that you have to be thankful for.
When you focus on the good qualities of your spouse, he/she will be more
loving. If you are grateful for you job
rather than complaining about it, you will do a better job, be more productive,
and probably end up getting a raise anyway.
If you focus on ways to enjoy yourself around home, you’ll end up having
more fun. If you ever do get to
Don’t tell yourself “someday I’ll be happy” – when the kids
are grown, when you get another job, when the bills are paid – and on and
on. Meanwhile, life keeps moving
forward. The truth is, there’s no better
time to be happy than right now. If not
now, when? Your life will always be filled with
challenges. It’s best to admit this to
yourself and decide to be happy anyway.
Give up the idea that “more is better”. As long as you think this way, you will never
be satisfied. It seems that as soon as
we get something, or achieve something, most of us simply go on to the next
thing – immediately. This squelches our
appreciation for life and for our many blessings.
You can spend your
lifetime wanting more, always chasing happiness – or you can simply decide to
consciously be happy with what you have, enjoy it and then appreciate what
comes next.
