Don¡¯t take normal for granted
Philippians 4:10-13
I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstance. I know that it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Sometimes we are taking our daily routine for granted without being thankful, In other words,we not not being content with our current situation with grateful hearts. We are not content with the things we have. Today, I would like to talk about contentment.
Contentment starts in your attitude. It¡¯s all in how you choose to see things. You can complain about your circumstances or you can thank God about your situation. It¡¯s all in how you choose to see it.
Brothers and Sisters, choose to have a grateful attitude. You may be thinking,
My life is so routine. I just got up, go to work, and come home. I do the same thing day after day. I don¡¯t have anything exciting happening to be especially thankful for.
Many times we don¡¯t realize how great we have it until something is taken away.
I heard about a young couple who had two children. The dad had a good job and they didn¡¯t have any problems to speak of. But then one day the dad said he wasn¡¯t feeling well. When he went to the doctor, they discovered that he had a very serious illness. This family spent weeks going to various hospitals in different locations for test after test. Now their time was consumed by medical matters. The doctors finally found a way to treat the father, so for the next several months, he had to go to the hospital every other day to receive treatment. It was a long, drawn out ordeal, and it totally interrupted the family members¡¯ lives.
As the lady was telling the story, she said something that really struck me. She said, ¡°We¡¯ve been through so much; now how I long for the mundane. How I long to get back to doing what we used to do. How I long to just go home and sit around with my family at night.¡±
What she was saying was, ¡°I didn¡¯t realize how great we had it when we didn¡¯t have any problems, when we were just going to work, just raising our family. What I thought were boring, unexciting days, I would give anything to have those times back now.¡±
Later she said, ¡° I will never again complain about the mundane.¡±
The truth is, much of life is mundane. It¡¯s easy to think, I can¡¯t be grateful, I can¡¯t be happy. I don¡¯t have anything exciting going on.
But if your health was taken away, or your loved one got sick, or your lost your job, it would change your whole perspective. You would long for the mundane. You would long to get back to where you are right now. Why not make a decision to appreciate what you have? Be grateful for what God has done in your life. Choose to enjoy this day.
Don¡¯t take everyday, ¡°normal¡± life for granted. If you are healthy, have a roof over your head, and have a family, you have so much thankful for.
Don¡¯t wait until something is lost or taken away before you really appreciate what you have. Learn to enjoy what God has given you.
Take time for the people you love. Take time for your family. Quit working all the time. When you come to the end of your life, your will never regret having spent time with your family. Nobody ever says on their deathbed, ¡°If I had to do it again, I¡¯d spend more time at the office. I¡¯d just work a little harder.¡±