How grateful are you?

As I get older, I come to notice more about life...and as that happens, I see more things that go wrong. It gets so easy for me to complain about everything that doesn't go my way... I think of all the times I've gotten upset or depressed because what I wanted to happen didn't, or was delayed for some reason.

When we start thinking like this, it's easy to go with the flow of things, and be unhappy anytime we don't get what we want, when we ask...it makes us a bunch of impatient people, who are a pain to be around. Trust me, I'm around ME all the time.

Life isn't about what you get. We weren't made to have this perfect little life, where we get anything we want. We're to love God, give Him praise, serve Him...tell other people about Him...but if we're always thinking of ourselves, how can we be doing those things? You can't mumble about not getting what you wanted and praise God at the same time. You can't be upset and frowning, and expect to tell people about Jesus...if you did, you'd ruin the only chance you had to witness to those people! Just by being unhappy about not "receiving" things, you can make yourself miserable.

We (I included) have become accustomed to the way that everyone else in the world acts, it doesn't affect us anymore. We get pulled into the attitudes of the world, and, whether we want to admit it or not, start acting like people we see. It's kind of like the "garbage in garbage out" saying; what you put into your brain, is what will come out of your mouth or your actions. The people you're around, the friends you choose, will be what you start to be like.

The more you grumble and complain, the more your outward appearance will reflect ungratefulness and discontentment, selfishness...not the love and light of Christ.
That doesn't mean we have to pretend like everything is perfect...because it's not. Life isn't perfect, but we do make it worse by the way we react to situations.

I'll end with a quote...

"He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has."