{Please help me welcome my friend, Alyssa, to the blog today!}
There is nothing like moving to cause you to evaluate your relationship to your “stuff.” We just relocated from South Carolina to East Tennessee. For the past 3 months, we have been living in an apartment with approximately 60% of our belongings. The other 40% has been in storage. I have been surprised at how LITTLE I missed the stuff that was in storage. The other day, I stood in our new home surrounded by our stuff that has been packed away for 3 months. As box after box was brought in, I thought,
“What am I doing with all this stuff?!”
More importantly:
“Why do I continue to have the urge to buy more?”
In a culture where we are surrounded by ads that try to convince us that we need more, bigger, prettier, faster, and newer, contentment can seem to elude us.
I just started the book Raising Kids in an Entitled World by Kristen Welch. I have been so convicted! If I am going to raise grateful kids, I have a lot of work to do on myself first. Entitlement is an attitude that I usually attach to royalty and socialites. I didn’t think that I suffered from this disease, but I was wrong. The attitude of entitlement has sneaked into my heart.
I don’t know about you, but there is this constant feeling of wanting more that seems to follow me everywhere. I walk past a store window and go nuts over the adorable little girl dressed in a fur vest and tiny boots. I scroll through Instagram and wish that my bedroom looked like Joanna Gaines had designed it. I see an ad for Disney and start panicking because my son is 6 and hasn’t been to Disney World yet.
It never ends.
The Bible is so rich in beautiful Scriptures on thankfulness as well as people who cultivated gratitude.
The book of Philippians is one of my favorites. Paul’s testimony is so powerful because he actually pens these words while in prison. His freedom is gone, he is separated from his loved ones, and he likely isn’t treated very well. Under these bleak circumstances he writes, ”Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.” (Philippians 4:13) He encourages us to focus our minds and hearts on things that are “true” and “lovely” and “admirable.” ( Philippians 4:8)
Living in a state of discontentment is so miserable. When I allow my thoughts to remain ugly—I wish I had those shoes or I wish I could fly off to a tropical island or I wish the baby would stop throwing a fit when I am trying to change this poopy diaper, my peace disappears and I am sad and just generally unpleasant to be around. Paul says that praying to God with Thanksgiving in our hearts will lead to peace. (Philippians 4:6-8) When the ugly thoughts rush in and I am tempted to let them “set up house” in my brain, I instead try to remember to thank God for my beautiful children, for providing all my needs and then some, and for giving me strength and grace to do the thing that he has set before me.
I think that part of the reason that Paul was able to find the “recipe” for contentment is that he had a deep understanding of God’s grace. In his former life as Saul, brutally beat and killed Christians. He was an enemy of people who were spreading the love of Christ. God could have killed Saul on that road to Damascus; but instead, He chose to show Him abundant grace and mercy and save his soul from hell.
While I am guessing that none of us led a life like Paul before we were saved, our hearts were just as black. We were born into this world as selfish little beings who were separated from God.
I wonder if I had a deeper grasp of God’s grace–if I understood what He has rescued me from and all He offers me now–would I be more grateful on a regular basis? As someone who has been a Christian for a long time, it is easy for me to take my salvation for granted. But when I think of what it means to be apart from God, I cringe. I cannot imagine walking through this life without Him by my side.
So my sisters in Christ, I encourage you to fix your thoughts on Jesus. Meditate on His grace.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
Philippians 4:23
Alyssa lives in East Tennessee with her husband and 2 children. She was raised in NY but has lived as a Yankee transplant for 20 years. She and her husband have navigated the waters of infertility and adoption for 11 years. Her loves are the piano, the outdoors, fashion, and reading. She has recently started a blog: Living Beyond the Dust.
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It is my birthday today 54, oh my! A friend shared your story with me! It touched me as yesterday day I got news of 3 friends killed in a small plane crash while delivering humanitarian things to Haiti from the Dominican Republic .it reminded me again how Greatful I need to be for what I have ! There deaths will sadly effect so many poor poor people they helped support in those country’s .