I Want What They Have

Indeed, religion with contentment is a great gain.  1 Timothy 6:6

Have you ever gone out to eat with a person who has to look at every plate that comes out of the kitchen before they can decide what to order?  That same person usually stares down each plate at the table, asking five questions about each order, and more often than not, that same person can be heard saying something like, “I wish I would have ordered that instead, I want what they have!”  Let’s face it, if we’re being totally honest, we probably make a dozen comparisons each day. We compare tiny things like parking spots and lunch choices and we compare big things like cars, paychecks and homes.  Did you ever stop and think about why we do this? 

If we took a survey of 100 people and asked the question, “What word best describes you right now?” What percentage of people do you think might reply with the word “Content”?  I would be willing to bet   very few, if any, would spit out that answer! We are a restless people by nature.  We spend a lot of time and energy comparing, evaluating and calculating everything.  Is it greed, lust, materialism or is it possible that the restlessness is simply a yearning for God to fill a spot in our lives we may not even realize is vacant?

I love my life!  I love everything about it, my husband, my children, my job, my family, my co-workers, my parish, my home…my life is absolutely more blessed than I ever imagined it could be! That being said, you would think I would be perfectly content.  That would be correct most of the time, but every now and again that restless ache creeps in and makes me compare what I have with something God blessed someone else with.  God has given me WAY more than enough and He certainly has given me WAY more than I deserve but sometimes I want Him to give ME that vacation to a beautiful beach resort or spiffy new fancy thing my neighbor has.  He has generously given me gifts and blessings and I try to use them to further His kingdom but sometimes I really wish those gifts could land me a book deal or a speaker booking at a big-name conference where I could rub elbows with the “Big Names” and be a part of all the exciting “hoop-la” that goes with it.  

99 days out of 100 I’m grateful and content but I was having that day when I was restless and feeling a little jealous.   I needed to get out from under the burden of those feelings so I slipped in the side door of church during lunch and asked Him to take them away.  As I sat in the silence, the word “why” just kept popping in my head.  I thought and thought about it and kept wondering things like, “why…why did he get that and why did she get to go there and why…” I went through the whole list and then it hit me!  The “why” meant something completely different…God was leading me to ask myself “WHY” do you want those things.  If you really want to use the gifts I gave you to serve me, why do you care about those things?  I sat a bit longer and thought about why I wanted all those things I thought He had forgotten to give me.  I told Him I felt like I was being “skipped over”.  Then the train hit me...I was wandering away from His truth.  He doesn’t allow me to write this blog each week to be recognized, He gave me this gift to spread His love and help others recognize His presence.  He didn’t give me my speaking gift to become recognized in a faraway fancy place, He gave it to me to speak to whoever He put in the chairs wherever He sends me.  He didn't send me to a beach, he sent me to spread His love to a bunch of "tweenagers" every day.  He didn’t forget to give me a fancy car or the income for a beautiful cottage; he gave me exactly what I needed to provide me with the perfect balance of humility and peace.  Mostly, He made me realize He has blessed me with the perfect life for ME!  I realized that what I need and what everyone else needs are as different as can be, but in the difference lies the perfection that only He can determine.  

I left the church that afternoon knowing that the why really meant; why are you restless for things that aren’t yours.  I left understanding the why, was the way He uncovered the restlessness in my soul that needed to rest in Him!  I think I’ll swap “C” words…I’ll swap compare for celebrate.  Each time I’m tempted to say, “I want what they have”, I’ll say instead, “God, thank you for taking such perfect care of them because You know perfectly what we need!” He works in ways both huge and tiny based on things we will never see or know…thank you Father for being in charge…You always get it right!

A Seed To Plant:  Practice gratefulness this week and swap “C” words.  Ask God each time you are tempted to make a comparison to settle your restless soul!

Blessings on your day!