A Thankful Heart

I think one of the most contagious evils spreading in our homes,  workplaces, communities and churches, is ungratefulness and discontentment. We live in a society that is affluent and yet we still think we “need” more.  I often wonder what the people who lived through the Great Depression would think of us and what advice they would give us. People can really be happy with very little. Yet we let the lies of advertising creep into our homes like a serpent and steal our children’s affections until we do not know what happened to our once contented children. This has been a matter that has concerned my mom for a while. My mom was able to raise my sister and I without any real problems with us wanting the material things, it was fairly easy for her to cast a vision for us in godly womanhood and motherhood (that isn't to say she had perfect daughters, but she encountered different issues). Now when it came to the boys it was a very different story. Boys love toys, plain and simple.  When boys get together they talk about what they are collecting and what they will be getting. My mom did not understand this at all. Girls are so social and just want to play with each other and boys want to play with each other's stuff. So the hard realization hit my mom when my brothers started asking for things whether it was video games or air soft guns.  My mom was faced with a new challenge. My mom was never satisfied with giving a simple answer because she wanted it to be a heart issue and for us to want what is best for ourselves not just to obey.  So how do you teach contentment in children that are bombarded with advertisements and the whole world telling you what you “need” to be happy?  Well, my mom would always just go to the Word of God. After finding all the verses pertaining to contentment, she would try to explain how we are not here for entertainment. Some entertainment is good because it refreshes us to do the work of God, but it should not be raised to such a point that it becomes an idol. I won't lie, this is a very hard thing to instill. To make your children actually not want what everyone else has is challenging in our material society.  The only way to do this is to talk and pray with your children. We need to be so consumed with Christ that we are satisfied in what He has given us. We should pray like the psalmist thankful for just enough that we do not curse God, but not too much that we forget Him. God will always take care of us and provide for our needs. We just need to trust Him and let him give us what He wants. We do not need to chase after the things of this world. There is something so beautiful about a thankful heart. It is so rare to see people thankful and grateful.We are so blessed beyond measure that we should be in a constant state of thankfulness before our God. But because we love ourselves, this has to be a work of God in our lives. We have to call on His name and ask him to instill this in our hearts. It is so easy for us to look at our circumstances and complain, but if we look past and count our blessing it changes our hearts and our worldview. The blessings the Savior has poured out on us are enumerable!  We need to be in a humble and grateful state before a holy God. Not pining for more, but content in the provision of Christ. 

From a grateful daughter ~ Paulina Marie