Being Content In The Moment

Hi ladies. I struggle very much with being happy with what I have and where I am in life. I try to remind myself that Jesus is my savior and we are not of this world, so I should remember I am constantly WINNING regardless of what is going on on earth.

It's easier said than done though. Even though my life is 100 times better right now than it has been in over 10 years, I find myself easily falling into the trap of feeling discontent and sometimes even unhappy. I find myself coveting things other people have to the point of downright envy and not in a good way. I am usually able to fight these feelings but sometimes it is hard. I capitalize on my thirst to change the things I can and achieve what I would like, but there will always be more to achieve no matter how good life gets and there will always be things beyond my control.

What do you do to try and stay grounded and grateful? I CHOOSE to act that way but I struggle sometimes with making my feelings follow suit.

What has helped me is by focusing on the things that I do have. There are opportunities that are presented to me daily that people in other countries wish they could have. For example, you have access to knowledge at all times. There are people that have to travel miles just to use the internet. You can go to the library and rent a book for free to better yourself, that options is not available to everyone.

There is always going to be someone with more, who is better at x, y, and z. You have to be able to work your blessings, in your lane, to the max that you are able to do.

What keeps me grounded is counting my blessings. There are people in the world who have lost limbs, are homeless, battling cancer, dealing with some physical medical affliction, etc...the list goes on. I know that I don't possess the strength to endure that kind of hardship. I praise God for my portion when I hear devastating news about an individual or see someone who may not have as much as I do.

Always remember, your situation can ALWAYS be worse. The moment you start complaining, the tests just get harder to endure. You hate your job? There's someone else who wishes they had one. Struggling to pay bills? There's someone else sleeping out in the streets with no food to eat. You don't like your looks? There's a burn victim who is no longer identifiable. It can always be worse.

I would start helping those in need so that you can truly see how blessed your life is. Contentment won't happen overnight and it won't always feel consistent. However, once you do finally learn to be content, it's easier for you to bounce back from temptations from the enemy.

I have a big problem seeing injustice in the world. I read philosophical writings and discourses by activists etc. and it opens my eyes further. But I'm still left with questions as to why it happens to some and not to others - injustice or poverty, fewer opportunities, illness etc. I don't think it's wrong to question why. Just be open to the "whys" as the answers come to you throughout life. Some are immediate, others take years to find the answers and yet others, probably a vast majority, will never be answered in this life. It is important to be thankful but also ask and trust that G-d wants the absolute best for you. Keep on asking.

I try to focus on the things that are going right. I think we can all agree that, regardless of how well our lives may be going (in comparison to others maybe), there's always something we are trusting God for. It reminds me that I will always need God, and I will always need to rely on God.

The biggest lesson I've learned over the years is to learn to love God. You'll find that, when you love Him, you love Him in spite of the things that are going wrong or the things He hasn't provided (yet). When you can spend time with Him without asking Him for anything but you're talking to Him 'just because' (even though there are a thousand and one things nagging at you), here's where you find true joy. It doesn't diminish your issues or the not-so-pleasant circumstances in your life, but it does elevate God in your life over your circumstance.

The second biggest lesson I've learned is honesty with God. Even when it's ugly. Really ugly. But I found that, in being honest with Him, I surrendered those feelings and He always took care of them. So in times when I have found myself envious (as an example), I found that once I told God, the feeling went away without my noticing. I feel that the enemy plants these feelings inside us and works overtime to make us feel guilty and ashamed of them, to the point where we can't even admit to our God that we feel this way (even though He knows). So my logic is that, in breaking the barrier of shame and naming the issue/feeling by name, I have given the issue over to God to deal with. And it's always worked so far.

And lastly, as has been mentioned before, I count my blessings. The fact that I wake up every day *whole* and safe with all my limbs, organs and senses in tact is enough to praise Him. It sounds flippant, but it really isn't. I'm surrounded by people who are chronically ill and for whom it is normal to see one consultant or the other for their illness(es). It's not a given to be healthy. Or to be able get up in the morning by yourself. Or to be able to feed yourself. It's not a given to be sane. People lose their minds over the smallest things. One bad incident, one wrong turn or movement can change a life for good. We are here by His grace. Things could vastly different. Yesterday, I almost got run over by a car. The car didn't event stop. I could have died or been seriously injured. Instead, and after I got over the initial shock, I carried on with my journey and forgot about the incident as soon as I got to the Underground.

There's so much to thank Him for. If we can focus on those things, all the other things we've been waiting for will catch us by surprise.