One Way Ticket to Contentment

Contentment. Grrrrr. Some days I just hate contentment. And after I catch myself going on and on and on in my head about what others have, don't you just hate it when you realize you have to have "that talk" with yourself about snapping out of it, getting a grip and being grateful for what you DO have?! It's hard. Especially in the part of the world where we live. My son came home from school the other day and said, "Edgar* lives in a mansion." I said, "How do YOU know?" "He told me." Great. Here I am --- my garage is falling down, the non-retaining wall is mimicking the garage, all the bills are backing up while my husband's out of work AGAIN, and..............EDGAR, only 7 years old, gets a mansion. Coveting. What a sorry waste of my time. Last week in Sunday School we learned that out of all the 10 Commandments, coveting is really the only one that can be done in secret. You can see someone steal. You can catch someone in a lie. You can witness a murder. But coveting.....that quiet, sneaky, secretive, malignant sin --- you can carry that out and nobody would ever be the wiser. Ouch. They take awesome trips. She's always driving a new car. They just bought a vacation home. They are so in love. Her house always looks perfect. She always looks like a million bucks. Her parents pay for her 3 kids' tuition? Her mother-in-law is so understanding. Her husband just got promoted AGAIN. WHAAT??And there you sit with those feelings of envy and how does it make you feel? Rotten. So allow me to testify, (and I'm talking to myself too) there isn't anything sweeter than the taste of THAT MOMENT you decide to shut all that down. Hasn't God always taken care of us? Hasn't He promised to meet our needs? Two days ago while in my car.......thinking.....moaning to myself.....I decided to go to God boldly for something. I said, GOD! WE NEED THIS! Friends, the very next day "it" (the very thing I prayed for) like Manna showed up at my front door. I'm not even kidding. I couldn't believe it, but then again -- I could. Because I know that's just how God works. Not always answering yes immediately, but always providing, always loving, always giving good gifts. So today I'm having a different talk with myself and I'm remembering how many sweet and special things I have and the little things that have happened lately that aren't exactly a paycheck, but are real things that remind me that God is sovereign, He cares for me and in Him I have all I need to be satisfied. I'm thinking about my darling, healthy and smart boys. I'm thinking that they have security in a home with two parents who love them. They attend good schools and have awesome teachers. They have a rich heritage of Godly men who weren't just Christians, but soul winners. I think about our tiny house, cozy and crowded but always entertained by the critters that live on our property and hide in our woods. I think about my dirty, old, crumb covered van. It starts EVERY DAY. You get the picture. So ALL ABOARD!! I'd like a one way ticket to contentment and I don't EVER want to come back.

*Not his REAL name. I mean WHO would name their child Edgar anyway?