What are you thankful for?

This weekend at church, my pastor taught on how to be content. Phil 4 - says that we are to be content in all circumstances. What does that really mean? My pastor shared a story of a lady who was ready to commit suicide because she had lost all hope. Her husband had lost his job, they had kids and wasn't sure how they could pay their mortgage and it seemed very doom and gloom for her and she felt there was no way out. The husband had called their pastor to come over and pray for her. When her pastor got there, he told her to start listing 100 things that she was thankful for. Her immediate reply was - I have nothing to be thankful for. The pastor then replied and said, what about your kids? She said yes, I'm thankful for my kids... and the story continued, she was thankful for her husband, her parents, her church,the rest of her family, her friends, the house she lives in, the food that they have to eat each day.... and so on and so on. With that, she came out of the closet and didn't feel hopeless anymore.

The Lord has been showing me how to be thankful and content in all circumstances. I am very thankful for many things. I sat down and just started giving thanks for everything I'm thankful for and wow the things I take for granted amazed me... such as how beautiful the sky was yesterday, the warm weather, the beautiful fall foliage, my dogs, the house I live in, the wonderful husband I have, the fact we have running water, hot too for showers, the ability to wash our clothes, makeup we get to wear, the hairdryer I use each day, shampoo and soap. The fact is we have so much more than folks in other countries and we are still wanting more more more!

I saw a quote by Zig Ziglar not long ago. He said this "The more you recognize and express gratitude for the things you have, the more things you will have to express gratitude for."

So, how does this relate to being content? Give gratitude and thanks to God for all you do have. Focus on what you have and not on what you don't. As you do, you will see it's very easy to be content. What are you thankful for?

If you are hurting or in need of prayer, please email me.

Michele "MAC" A. Cole
michele@wantinsight.com
The InSight Team

www.wantinsight.com - for more information on home loans