Being Content is a Learning Process

Instead of us focusing so much on what we don’t have and what didn’t

happen, be grateful for what we do have. This doesn’t come naturally to

me, probably not for you either, and not even for the apostle Paul, who

said, “I have learned to be content.” Being content is a learning process.

The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 4:7-8, “Isn’t everything you have and

everything you are sheer gifts from God? So, what’s the point of all this

comparing and competing? You already have all you need.”

Envy is based on the myth that we have to have more to be happy. Envy

always looks at others and asks, “Why them? Why did they deserve it? I

deserve what they have.” But gratitude says, “Why me? Why did God give

me this? I’m blessed because I don’t deserve what I have.” It totally flips

our perspective.

Although we all struggle with envy, it’s hard to admit it because it’s such an

ugly emotion. When we’re envious of others, we really want them to fail,

because it makes us feel better that they don’t have more than us. That’s

pretty crazy, isn’t it? If we could only learn to be grateful for what we

have, we could begin to get rid of these feelings of envy.

It’s important to understand that envy is not having a desire or a dream or

a goal. It’s good to have those. Envy is not looking forward to something

or hoping that something can happen in our life or even wondering if we

should have something. Envy is instead resenting somebody who already

has what we desire or has reached a goal we have yet to obtain. Envy says

we can’t be happy until you get that desire or goal. Envy is not being

grateful for what we already have.

Yet the Bible tells us that we already have more than we need and far

more than we deserve. Every good thing in our lives is a gift from God, and

it is up to him to decide when and how he blesses us. It’s up to us to

choose to be grateful and make the most of what we’ve been given.

“It is better to be satisfied with what you have than to be always wanting

something else” (Ecclesiastes 6:9b GNT).

My Challenge for us Today, is to allow God to take us from Envious to

Gratefulness in His learning process!