Be Satisfied With What You Have

Be Satisfied With What You Have Making comparisons seems to be human nature. However, in our quest to make comparisons we can be pretty brutal to one another; especially when we are envious of what the other has. We might say things like “You won the lotto! Why did you buy that lady a car, you don’t even know her! I’m your own child you should be buying me things!’ “Why did she get what I did, she didn’t do anything!” “Thank you all for being here and lining up alphabetically. Now we’ll start checking you in and we’ll begin from the letter Z.” Wow, we can be pretty tough to take. There is a certain sense of entitlement that comes across in these kinds of emotional reactions. Why do we feel entitled and make comparisons with each other over the gifts we receive? If we look at the lives around us, there is no one whose life is equal to ours. We have different degrees of needs, status, money, and material goods. We might be completely unaware of our attitudes, but much of the time we place of lot of focus on envy of another individual. Rather than being happy for the lady that received a car from a stranger, who saw that she walked her children for miles to get to school, who hand-carried groceries home, we criticize her and/or the giver. Why would we talk down about the person who saw a need and sought to fill it? Why would we be jealous of how someone else spent their money? Have you ever had a little extra cash and felt the urge to treat somebody to something nice? Perhaps you took grandma out for a meal, took a toddler shopping for a new toy, or your treated your dad to the latest technology gadget. One might say, “That was nice of you.” But what might we hear when others learn that you bought your friend season tickets to his favorite professional baseball team? It seems that when “nice” goes past a certain monetary value our eyes stop seeing nice and go straight for envy. What happens to siblings when mom and dad buy a home for the youngest child and not for the others? What if the parents thought, “Before we die we want to know all our children are taken care of.” Suppose they assessed the needs of their children and decided for one they set up a college fund, for another bought a car for a grandchild, for another bought a house, and for their handicapped child set up a trust fund to help her through the rest of her life. How quickly would the siblings begin to judge circumstances, compare the value of the gifts, speak negatively toward one another and even stop speaking period. God wants us all to enjoy a good and fruitful life and enjoy an abundance of good things. He gives us each what we need. However, what I need is different from my sister’s needs, your needs, or a friend’s needs. We must do what we can to remain humble and enjoy the blessings that were designed for us and be satisfied. We then can perhaps with a good pure heart be happy for another who may seem to have more than you. Our gifts do not necessarily have to be material, food or a monetary gift. Our gift can come in the form of time shared and love expressed. There is no reward in walking through life looking for a handout. There are many intangible things that are priceless treasures that don’t cost us a penny; be a generous giver of such gifts and a humble receiver.