To Be Content, We Must First Have Faith and Give Thanks

Last night my husband and I were
talking about our rising electric bill, among the other rising costs of
gas, food, etc. I began getting a frustrated, unfortunately my first
instinct is to do drastic things like not run the a/c at all even
though it would get to 90+ in our house, stop using hot water, or stop
using electricity completely. Sad to say that I went to bed racking my
brain at everything we could possibly do with out, and praying that the
Lord would give me wisdom in using our money wisely... regardless of
the amount of money we have.

Then I got up this morning. I got
ready for the day, made pancakes with my daughter, and read the Bible.
Here's what we've been listening to and the Scripture I read:

The Song from my daughter's cd
- "I like to think about the Goodness of the Lord. He gives me
everything I need and so much more, so I just want to lift my hands and
say that I love him, and I want to lift my heart in praise...I want to
be thankful, I want to be grateful, I want to remember what the Lord
has done....I want to be thankful, I want to be grateful, I wanna be, I
wanna be"

Here's the Scripture that I coincidentally flipped
to: 2 Corinthians 12:9 "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for
thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness."

I remembered that the children of Israel, in Exodus, complained alot
because they had forgotten what God had delivered them of and through.
How many of us think if we were delivered out of slavery, walked
through an ocean on
dry land, or had food fall from heaven, or any of the other tremendous
happenings the Bible records, that we would never be unthankful or
unfaithful again? I know I have thought that on occasion, but the truth
is that we do the same thing. Even though a few thousand years or more
separate us, we still have the same struggles, desires, victories, and
the same God that watches over us.

As I was reading the verse
about His grace being sufficient for us, it made me think about how
blessed we are. Even if things do get more expensive, and I have to be
more creative as to how I stretch things, God is still looking out for
us. If I believe that He is watching out for us, I am doing my best to
follow His commands and ways, then I should also rest in the fact that
He knows how much we NEED, and will provide accordingly. It may not be
Sketchers, or a T-Bone Steak, and we may not drive aMaserati, but that's not needed.

How
do I be thankful, when I am discouraged by the news which leads me
to discontentment with not being prepared - in this case?

I then
pray and turn to God's word, and it reminds me that (1 Timothy
6:6-8)"1. But godliness with contentment is great gain. 2. For we
brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing
out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content." It did
not say if we have so much food we have leftovers, it does not specify
the brand of clothing we must wear, and it does not tell us that we
must have these things in order to be thankful. We must be thankful in
all our circumstances (iThessalonians 5:18)and after we start counting our blessings we'll find there isn't any room for discontentment.

I
know that in our economic circumstances we may have less fun foods, we
may get fewer clothing less often, maybe even have to stay home
more...but regardless of this I will be content. I will praise the Lord
for He knows what our family needs, and He knows the way that He will
provide for us. I can rest assure of that. So, when I hear there's a
rise in prices again (as we know there will be)and feel a bit panicky,
I will be content with what the Lord as blessed us with, thank Him for
watching over us and look forward to seeing how He'll will provide for
our needs.

Matthew 6:25-34 Tells me to not worry about
tomorrow, because if the Lord watches and takes care of the sparrow,
won't He do the same for us who are more important?

So, before I go to bed tonight, here's what I'm thankful for:

1. Knowing that I have a relationship with the Almighty God,
2. My wonderful husband who strives to grow close to God, and take care of his family
3. My daughter; her health,
4. Our home
5. Food to eat and share with others
6. Family support including in-laws whom I am so happy to say I love dearly
7. People that share about their ways of doing things and love for God, which encourages me
8. My Mennonite friend in Pennsylvania who encourages me to live simply
9. Our health
10. Being in my right mind and having peace of mind that all will turn out well because Jesus has everything under control,
11. the "pupcakes" (cupcakes) in the kitchen that are calling to be eaten!
12. Our window units that slightly dry and cool the air this summer
13. Our little pool that cools us when the a/c isn't keeping up

So, when I feel discontent I'll count my blessings and and there won't be room for anything else.

Are
you having a rough time? What are some of the things you've been
blessed with? If need be it's great to keep sticky notes where you'll
have to read the things you are blessed with if you are having a very
low moment and can't bring anything to mind!