Contentment is a Great Gain in the Eyes of Jesus

Have you ever thought that you got it? Have you ever felt like there is one area in your life where, really, you are on top of things? You are doing the thing you are supposed to be doing and it's going great. You know God has you in His this exact place and time and it feels so good. Then, just as you were settling into your comfy spot and petting yourself on the back for a job well done, you get the wind knocked out of you. You wonder, what just happened? Everything was going so well.

I was in that spot. I never had an issue with jealousy. Yes, others may have had better, bigger things but it was them. I was in a different place. I may have felt covetous but never jealous. I haven't felt the need to show that I want something others have. 

We bought a small house a few years and have been very happy in it since. I love the lay out, the fact that we live on a quiet street inside the city, all grocery stores are close by, both sides of the family live nearby too. I've loved decorating and making this home ours. We have a large family room which has come handy with having little children and containing the mess. We have a large, private master bedroom downstairs (currently undergoing a major renovation). We have a small but private backyard. We have large kitchen and a nice open floor plan. I've loved living in our home since the day one.

Then came the wind.

The other day I visited a friend who bought a new house. They have lived renting an apartment for a while and this was a huge blessing for them. Having multiple children, they were in real need for a backyard, more space and privacy. The home was beautiful. It had a unique floor plan and large backyard, updated kitchen and other awesome features. I felt a sprig of jealousy rise up. I tried to hide it, praising and admiring the new residence.

On the way home, I felt like a huge lump was stuck in my throat and I just couldn't shake off the feeling of not being satisfied with what I have.

I was so grateful.

I was so content. 

I was in a good place.

I had to work on this all over again.

You see, being content is not something you can just have and never work on. At one point in your life you will come along someone with something better then yours. Unless you keep the focus eternal and fix your eyes on Jesus, you will fall into the trap of wanting more. 

But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. (1 Timothy 6:6-12)

Fighting a good fight means, it's an ongoing action which you have to keep up your entire life. It does not mean if you won one battle, you may rest. The scriptures teach us that 'the love of money is root of [all kinds of] evil'. That evil may be something you see on the inside or something that grows on the inside. Don't give discontent any space. Don't let the seed get root and destroy your whole life with poor choice, wrong priorities and shift in thinking. 
We are called into a life where the 'righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience and meekness' are main possessions we should boast about. Unfortunately we all fall into the trap and temptation to seek more earthly desires. 
Having good things isn't necessarily wrong but the love of them will take you onto the path of evil. If we desire to be rich and seek possessions with all our might, that path will lead us "into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction".
Lastly, we are in the presence of many witnesses. Whether it's our neighbors, our friends or the people we pass by on the street, we are made witnesses to the Lord. With are grateful attitudes and content hearts, we can either draw people to the Lord or push them away. We are also standing before Jesus and serving Him. If as Christians we still have to work on contentment, the Lord will have to take us through some trials before we learn to have a grateful heart and serve others. In His eyes, we are living the life He wants us to live, He supplies all our needs and gives us necessary things for life. To Jesus our soul is far more precious then any earthly possessions, or fulfillment of our temporary desires. Jesus brought us to this place and He will sustain us, our part is just be thankful and content with the life He chose for us. After all, He knows best and delights in our contentment. 

Summer Happenings {Family Photos}

 Taking family photos is the most labor intensive job out there. Kids are running around, adults are cheesing and you are desperately trying to look natural but have the perfect photos at the same time. Well, I'm loving our these photos we did couple of days ago! We got all dolled up and made a trip downtown to one of our local landmarks and snapped away. Thanks to the talented and patient photographer TC from the Thenappan Picture Gallery, we got some great shots! I honestly want to post all of them - there is so many good ones. If you are in the area, I recommend you hit him up for some photos because honestly I didn't even edit any of these. I also can't wait to frame them because we don't have many recent pictures of all of us together. Hope you have a great weekend and enjoy the weather because it's not going to last long (especially around these parts).

Thank you for stopping by! 

Setting Right Priorities Will Make Your Life Blessed

I recently read some discouraging news about a public figure I admired for years. It simply hurts reading that people you thought were strong and faithful, fall prey, yet again, to the age-old attacks from Satan. It's just so discouraging. If they couldn't make it, what are the chances of me making it in the long haul? Slim to none. Yet, I have the Lord on my side, He is the one who guides and leads me through the valley of the shadows. 

After I read about yet that couple getting a divorce, I started thinking what went wrong. Why did something that God destined to serve as an eternal example of His love ended up breaking into pieces? Why are they not sticking with it? Why are they not putting more effort? Why quit? Why?

I know I am not perfect. Far from it. I have to constantly remind myself of what's more important and why I'm doing what I'm doing because there plenty reasons to quit. Yet, one of the important things I learned in my life is that priorities are what separates people from successes and failures. The way you set your priorities is what makes you, who you are. Basically, whatever is the most important to you, you will love, cherish, spend time with and invest energy in.

Question: What are the most important things in your life?
I was recently reading a few articles about habits and routines of highly successful people and one thing stood out among all of them. They all make something a priority, make a plan and set out to pursue that goal. They narrow down the most important things and only focus on those, while ignoring the distractions and developing themselves in that direction.
Successful people focus on something and make that a huge priority in their life, then work very, very at getting to the point of achievement. Whatever it may be, emotional, spiritual, financial or social prosperity is a matter of priority. It doesn't necessarily make those priorities right, because people pursue all kinds of things that aren't worth the time. But one thing remains the same - setting priorities in correct order will make your life blessed.
God is looking for people who will put Him first, and I don't mean going to church. Making the Lord a priority, means that everything else will follow only after the relationship with Him is fulfilled. It means you don't start a job, build a family or get a new friend without consulting with the Father. He ultimately is your source of strength and wisdom for all decisions. He is the number one priority in your life.
Priorities are what drives us to pursue the life we will eventually live, blessed or completely destroyed. The choice is up to us.

Managing your time wisely and employing personal discipline to pursue the correct priorities will make all the difference in your life. Putting action into your life towards the goal you set out to pursue will release the blessings God has promised to those who love Him. When we make our relationship with Him a priority, the Lord will bless and prosper us in a way we haven't even imagined. The relationship with Him is absolutely worth it all.

Nobody is too busy, it's just a matter of priorities.

Summer Happenings {Exploring Our Own Backyard}

This summer has been one of the best to date! Honestly, in my entire adult life I haven't had so much fun. The excuse is? Kids. Having kids is really, really fun. I mean, it's really, really hard too but so much more exciting. Couple of weeks ago we ventured out onto my sister's property to explore the woods and do some pretend fishing. One day we will fish for real. We found crawfish, splashed in the creek, climbed some rocks and got completely wet all in the name of exploring. I mean when else would you venture out into the woods on a weekday afternoon? Never! Except the Jonathan has been asking me to go hiking and this was perfect opportunity. I mean we didn't exactly go far but they enjoyed it. 

It doesn't matter where or how you do it - get out there and explore. We live in a very picturesque place yet, so many places we didn't even know about. This year we are making a point of visiting old favorites and exploring new ones. Hope you have a great weekend! 

Thank you for stopping by!

Grandma's Chicken Noodle Soup {Recipe}

Okay guys, I don't want to brag but, my chicken noodle soup is the best I have ever had. I mean, it's like your grandma's chicken noodle soup. The one you want to eat on a cold snowy day or on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Even though it's summer, I still make it a lot. We love soups here! Plus, everyone who has tried my soup raved about how great it is and Sorry I don't do step by step photos but if you follow this you will get it! But don't forget my very important secret ingredient - dill! If you want to make sure it's absolutely amazing use homemade chicken stock. Nothing  in the world will substitute the flavor and richness of homemade broth.

Ingredients

Broth:
1 chicken quarter leg
1 carrot
1 celery stick
1 small onion


Soup:
2 carrots
2 celery sticks
1 large onion
broth
chicken leg cut
1 green onion
small dill bunch
small cialntro bunch
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp olive oil
8 oz small dutch egg noddles

How To Make Broth

Put all the ingredients into a large 5 qt pot and cover it with water. Bring it to rapid boil and decrease to simmer. Keep it on lowest heat and simmer for at least one hour. I usually let it simmer for 2 hours and then let it rest another hour off the heat.

Soup

Dice carrots, onion and celery. Place 2 tbsp of olive oil into a cast iron Dutch oven and let it heat up over medium heat. Place all the diced vegetables and saute them on low-medium heat for 10-15 minutes, until tender. Add broth, chicken and noodles and stir. Bring to boil and reduce heat to medium and cook until noodles are tender (according to package instructions). Remove from the heat or the noodles will become soggy. Finely chop dill, cilantro and green onion and add to the soup. Add a little bit of the greenery now and then save some for garnish when you serve the soup. The greens are what makes this soup stand out. The combination of fatty and delicious chicken stock with fresh herbs makes this recipe a winner in a my book. Try it!