Just a few weeks ago, Anthony and I jumped in our car and journeyed off on a cross-country road trip that took us from Georgia to Montana and back again.

We were like kids in a candy store as we started off. We turned on some tunes, starting munching on some of our snacks, and chattered away as we eagerly absorbed the scenery passing by.

We didn’t have an itinerary. We were winging it and our minds were racing with all the things we hoped to see and do!

But it became very obvious early in our trip that we were not going to be able to see or do everything we really wanted.

Our time was limited and our energy was finite.

We wrestled with which monuments, mountain tops, and national parks to stop at and which ones were we willing to forego.

As our trip progressed, we were tempted to bemoan all the things we were missing.

It required a fresh reminder from the Holy Spirit to readjust our focus, “Enjoy what you are getting to see and experience.”

As humans, we tend to swerve into that pitfall of life from time to time, don’t we?

We seem to be really good at obsessing over what we don’t have instead of being grateful for what we do.

Ecclesiastes 1:8 sums it up beautifully, “No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content.” (NLT)

That truth can just as easily apply to what we have and don’t have, as well.

Whoever coined the popular saying “The grass is greener on the other side” clearly put their finger on our human propensity to hone in on and crave what we don’t have.

Yielding to this trap quickly robs us of contentment, happiness, and peace.

Choosing to cultivate thankfulness in our lives is the remedy for this snare.

In the book of I Timothy, Paul made this statement, “Godliness with contentment is a great gain.” (6:6 HCSB)

The context of that verse is nestled in a section speaking about finances; however, the heart of that verse clearly applies to everything in life.

Are you thankful for what you do have today, friend, or are you tempted to be preoccupied with all the things you lack?

Nothing can keep our heart as happy as gratefulness can.

“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.” (Epictetus)

Until next time, Grace and Glory!