A few weeks ago we did a little bit of shopping and came back with a couple Christmas presents for Roxy. Later that night I walked into my room to find that Roxy had somehow sensed that there was something for her in the shopping bags, and snooped until she found her favorite toy.

She tore the packaging off and was happily chewing on her new toy. When she saw me, she gave me a look like "this is my new toy- please don't take it".
She is so cute!

I've always struggled with fitting in. It's as though I've never been quite enough. I can't quite get tied in to anything that seems to matter. It seems that everyone around me has something going for them; they are gifted in something, they found their purpose in life, etc.

Must be nice.

Contentment

It's easy to always wish that something about life was different. Is there ever a time in life when everything is perfect and you don't wish for something else?


You know what? I think my life is pretty much perfect right now.


Sure, my kids fight and misbehave sometimes.... but I am so blessed to have them. They are healthy They really are well behaved most of the time. I enjoy them, and I enjoy having a front row seat on watching them grow up and being such a big part of it. What more could I ask for?


Sure, it would be nice to have more money... but all of our needs have always been provided for. We have dependable vehicles that are paid for. We have a comfortable house in a nice, safe area. We are able to enjoy some extras like going to concerts, going camping, being in sports, etc. What more could I ask for?


I have found myself feeling discontentment in my marriage at times. But I have a husband who loves me. He is not perfect. But the more I find myself striving to be the perfect wife, the more I see him behaving as a perfect husband. What more could I ask for?


Contentment is a state of mind. A choice. You can choose to be annoyed or unfulfilled about nearly anything in life. But you can also choose to find the blessings in the same things: Do you wish you didn't have to go grocery shopping or spend time cooking? How lucky for you to have food available and the money to buy it (there are lots of people in other parts of the world living in poverty with no access to food or clean water). Do you wish you didn't have to get up and go to work? How blessed you are to have a job (there are so many people out of work right now). You are lucky to have a house to clean, a car to fix and put gas in, dishes to wash, a fridge to clean, a house to fix up.


It doesn't always come naturally, but I choose joy.

Trying to lose weight makes me crazy. I wish I could say I just mean that figuratively. I don't.

I've been trying to lose weight for ages. I've been working really hard since March. Unfortunately, I haven't lost much more than my mind. It's like I'm on a roller coaster ride...

Sometimes I'm upbeat, excited and positive about the whole thing. A great "I can do this" attitude.

Other times, I feel like I can't do anything. I work out and I feel like I'm going to die. I look at myself in the mirror and feel like it's hopeless. It seems to come so easily for other people and not for me. Well meaning people have all sorts of suggestions that just don't work- for me, anyway.

I wish I just didn't care. *Sigh*

"For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." Ephesians 6:12

I can relate this to many things in my life. Being falsely accused. Struggles with family harmony. Grandparents who interfere in the upbringing of our children. Government. Work. Etc.

What a great reminder that when we are having problems with things in life, there is more to it than just the problem itself.

There are people in our lives that we dearly love, but due to their behavior, we have decided to start spending less time with them. I know it's the right decision for now. But this verse helps me see that the struggle we are having with them isn't just with them. It's bigger than that. This verse helps the situation feel less painful.