Read:
After looking at the way things are on this earth, here’s what I’ve decided is the best way to live: Take care of yourself, have a good time, and make the most of whatever job you have for as long as God gives you life. And that’s about it. That’s the human lot. Yes, we should make the most of what God gives, both the bounty and the capacity to enjoy it, accepting what’s given and delighting in the work. It’s God’s gift!
~Ecclesiastes 8:18-20 (The Message)
Consider:
Our family has been on a Fixer Upper kick, lately. We love Chip and Joanna, their silly dynamic and of course the end result of each project they complete together. It’s funny, too, because we sit together on our dream couch (the couch I had been wanting for years and finally got) watching the 55-inch screen TV we had to have (after our 32-inch bit the dust) in awe of the stunning homes with gorgeous kitchens and perfect style, and we drool over every single home. Instead of looking around us and being thankful for all we have, all we see when we watch Fixer Upper is what we don’t have.
Being content can be a challenge. We live in a world of Instagram stories that look as though they were created for a magazine and Pinterest, you know… the place you go to feel like your house isn’t clean enough, decorated enough and/or like you really should be doing squats or watching a make up tutorial.
So how do we become content when Target is just 2.1 miles down the street and Chip and Joanna’s new line is just waiting to be shopped?
It starts with awareness.
When you start to feel like every area of your life is less than perfect and everyone you know has the best life ever, step back into reality, my friend. Social media presents the highlight reels of everyone’s lives. No one posts pictures of their bills, their dirty laundry piles, their piled up dishes or the ugly wall paper in their kitchen. Y’all, people rearrange their homes to take a photo and/or take 25 selfies before they find the right angle with the right light and then they choose a filter! Look around and see all that you have, even if you just begin with remembering that you have air in your lungs, clean water to drink and a roof over your head. If you have life’s basic needs you are more than blessed. If you have above and beyond those needs you are richly blessed. Do you have at least one person in your life that you care about and that cares for you? If yes, than you are blessed. If you have more than one of those people in your life… you are more blessed than you probably realize.
Perspective changes everything.
Be real with yourself this week. Wake up, be thankful and put in the effort to enjoy everything and everyone in your life.
Pray:
Lord, it’s hard not to look around and want more. Forgive me. I pray that this day and those to follow I would be thankful for all that you have given me. I pray for the strength and determination to keep myself aware when I start to play the comparison game. I pray that I would choose to have joy and contentment and reap the benefits of such a life.
Today’s post was written by Amanda Sanders.
Amanda has been married to her high school sweet heart Matt for 12 years. Together they have three kids ages 9, 7 and 4. In this season of life, Amanda spends most of her time drinking coffee, teaching children, doing laundry and repeating herself. Occasionally, she has some time for working out, reading for leisure and writing. You can find her on Sunday mornings worshiping at our Real Life UCF campus.
