Being Grateful. Being Content.

I got out of the car and grabbed a dish with bacon wrapped pesto chicken and proceeded to make my way toward the house. Making the chicken was the easier part. Now came the hard part - not knowing what to say to my friend who just had a miscarriage. 

I'm so sorry for your loss.

But here is some chicken. 

I didn't know what to say or how to act and therefore an awkward hug and poor words of condolences followed after. 

It was also her birthday. My heart ached with sincere desire to do more but what could I do?

Lord, doesn't this seem like a lot to take for someone so young? 

On a table was gorgeous bouquet of red roses given by her husband. They were beautiful. 

My birthday just passed and I reminded myself that my husband didn't even give me flowers. Well, there goes the romance right? Seven years into it and nada. I felt a sting of jealousy and than my heart gasped - how could I?

I was being so ungrateful. I was full of discontent.

I was feeling discontent with my husband because he decided to give me two full days together and a day at a day spa, complete with brunch and dinner out .We slept in. We watched movies. We relaxed and spent time together, yet all I could think about was flowers.

Then guilt struck through me like a lighting bolt.
Lord, I am sorry and also, thank you.

In a society that's full of Instas and Snaps, we forget to take the time to be grateful. To just be. We paint perfect pictures and busy with coveting our people's lives in the perfect little snaps of time, forgetting to be thankful for what we have. I'm guilty of it more than I could ever count. 

Comparison is the killer of joy. 

If you think you are better than others, when you really aren’t, you are wrong. Do your own work well, and then you will have something to be proud of. But don’t compare yourself with others. We each must carry our own load. Galatians 6:3-5

No matter what we may see from the outside looking in, don't think for a minute that their life is better than ours. God gave the life we are living for a reason, with all its hardships and joys. So no matter where we are, have much or very little, come from great childhood or rough, seeing great prospects on the horizon or don't know what to do next, possess many earthly riches or can barely pay the bills, giving our all or have nothing left to give, laughing or crying in all give thanks.