Sometimes we waste time focusing on everything we want and don't have, and we don't make time to think about what we do have and don't deserve.
Personally, I've found myself frustrated at times for not achieving what I would like to achieve, for not having what I would like to have, or for not reaching where I would like to go. I fail to realize that I have so many things to feel good about, happy about, content about, but above all, grateful for.
Yesterday, I was contemplating on how I am more blessed than I believe I deserve, and how often I am more concerned about what I don't have rather than being thankful for what I already have, which I may not even deserve. We can spend our lives complaining about what we don't have or what is "taken" from us, or we can set aside the complaints and begin to be grateful for what we do have, which many times we didn't even ask for.
I'm talking about being grateful for what we already have and not being ungrateful for what we don't have and wish we had. Sometimes we find ourselves in a situation where we get frustrated about what we desire instead of rejoicing in what we already possess.
What we have is not little, and that's because no matter how "little" you think you have, the truth is that you have A LOT. Most of us didn't deserve many of the things we now enjoy, but nevertheless, God saw fit to give them to us. And I'm not just talking about earthly things, but also spiritual ones. None of us deserved such a great salvation, yet God graciously sent His Son to die in our place.
It's time to start thanking God for what we have, whether it's "much" or "little." What we have is a gift from God, and we should see it as such. We cannot spend our lives complaining and crying over what we don't have and want. Instead, let's be grateful for what we already have and what God has given us, even when we didn't deserve it.
For a moment, remember all the times you've done wrong and deserved punishment, yet God's grace and mercy have been renewed in your life. Remember the times you've messed up, yet God's mercy has been with you. Just thinking about all of that makes me feel special because God gives me more than my actions deserve. So instead of complaining about what I "believe I deserve," I thank God for what I didn't deserve and He gave me.
Today, I invite you, in the midst of any situation you may be facing, to offer a prayer of gratitude to God for what you have, for who you are, and for what He has given you. For a moment, open your eyes and realize how blessed you are to have what you have around you.
Let's set aside the complaints. Today is a good day to be grateful to God for everything He has given us, even though we don't deserve it. Today is a good day to acknowledge how GOOD God has been to us.
Thank you, God, for everything you have given us and for who we are! "Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7 New Living Translation (NLT)