Minimalist Joy

1 Thessalonians 5:18 “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

I am so very blessed! YOU are so very blessed! I have so much to be thankful for! I have a family. A wonderful husband! I have a warm home. A bed. A relatively healthy body. Food. Water. I get to bathe daily in hot water! I don’t have to go to hell because of what Jesus did on the cross for me. I have a car. I have a computer. A cellphone. The list goes on and on…

It is so easy to think about the things that you don’t have and forget about the many blessings that you have. Sometimes my husband makes me mad and I can focus on his faults (yes, he has some!). Sometimes my body doesn’t want to cooperate with me! Sometimes I look at my neighbor’s house (there is always something bigger and better, right?)! Sometimes I concentrate on what I “can’t” do on the computer or cellphone I have. Sometimes I want food that is different than what I have. Whaa!

I refuse to be a whiner! I refuse to think on the negative! We have so many positives in our lives. Unfortunately, this has to be a determination for me. The grass always looks greener somewhere else, but there is poop in their yards, too, if we get close enough to see it. There are many who would gladly change lives with me. My “bad” is a lot better than their “good”.

On the whole, Americans have so much! And yet they are one of the most depressed people on earth. Nigerians are rated at being #1 at enjoying life. There is something twisted to this. What is wrong?

Stuff doesn’t produce joy! We think it does. We want more…bigger…better… But we lack purpose in this. We spin our wheels at things that don’t really matter. It is time to STOP and survey your life! Rate what is most important. Ask God to break your heart with the things that breaks His heart. Ask Him to give you purpose; to show you what you can do to make a difference in the lives of others. Thank Him for the abundance that you have and ask Him to show you how you can give more. That is where the joy is - in serving - in being thankful!