I know for me, it's something that I'm guilty of all too often. Despite having lots of friends, a decent amount of money to live by, a job that I find rewarding and so many moments in life that I really should be grateful for, I instead focus on what I don't have.
I don't have enough money to live where I want to live yet, I've still not found the one, I'm still not getting enough support in my endeavours and the list goes on and on.
I use to think I was the only person who is like this, but in recent years, I've realised that we all are like this. No matter how good you may think someone's life is, they are always finding a fault in it. Even some of my friends who are doing amazing things, will tell me that there are areas of their lives they want to change or that they'd rather on some days being doing something else.
There's so many problems with this way of thinking, I could write a book about them. The main issue however is that by thinking like this, we stop seeing the good that we're given and instead focus on the bad.
This thought process is in my opinion one of the key reasons why our society is the way it is today. We are so worried about what we're doing and the things we're missing out on- that we then spend all our time trying to fix those things or make them happen- rather than helping out those who really need it or caring for those around us.
We need to turn this thought process on it's head- for our own sanity and freedom as well as for the good of the rest of our fellow neighbours.
To start off with, we need to keep reminding ourselves that we are all put in the place where we are at for a reason. This is something I'll touch on more in a future post but needless to say that God doesn't call us to be anywhere other than where we are at this very moment and to make the most of it living his word out in it.
Yes we're called to be the best we can be and yes God will rewards us all abundantly, but this doesn't have to be tomorrow, or next month or even next year. Think about how Abraham (Abram) and Sarah (Sara) had to wait until Sarah was 90 before they got the child they'd been asking God for. Think about how Jesus had to wait till he was 30 to start his great work, even though I'm sure he'd been given the gifts a long time before hand. We all are called to a plan by God, but that doesn't mean we're going to be doing it tomorrow.
Secondly, we need to start focusing on what is good in our world rather than what is bad.
It's incredible to see how when tragedy happens, a lot of time that is when the true hearts of people come through. I look at the Rise for Alex initiative as a great example of this, or just the other day the way people around the world gave to help Baby Gammy with the heart defect in Thailand. The thing is though, we need to start acting like this outside of tragedy too.
We need to take a look at our lives on a daily basis and look at the good we have in them. We need to stop worrying about what we don't have and thank God for what we do. We also need to see those who don't have what we have and try to make a difference in their lives so that they can share in our blessings (whether they be material, emotional or spiritual).
I know I'm guilty of not doing this and it's something I need to work a lot harder on, but I am trying everyday to change my mindset as I know it's the only way the world we become a better place. As I've said many times before- God put us here to do something, so we should go out and do it.
Finally, we need to be accepting of where we are.
Now that doesn't mean we have to be happy with where we are at, or we should stop trying to keep improving or growing even more as people. What it does mean is that we accept that we are where we are is OK, because we know that it is where we will make the most of the life God has given us and it's all a part of the journey.
You see, the truth is, we will always want to be somewhere else for a reason. Not because we are jealous, not because we are flawed, not even because we don't like where we are. The real reason we want to be somewhere else is because it drives us if we allow it to, towards our real purpose, the only place we will be truly content, which is not found here on earth, but in heaven and eternity with God and I know, I wouldn't have it any other way than that.
Till next time...
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