I was talking with a friend recently who had experience serving on mission trips in third-world nations, where nearly the entire population lived well below any concept that we would have of a poverty line. Frankly, living conditions for the vast majority of the world’s population are nearly inconceivable to the American population, given the comparative opulence in which we live and our limited personal exposure to places beyond our borders. Let’s face it – when deciding how to spend our travel dollars, our preference will be to find places with running water, electricity, comfortable lodgings, and good food. Such a list of non-negotiables automatically rules out lots of places around the globe for our leisure travel, leaving us blind to how most of the world lives.
Yet for those of us who have spent time in those places, we have found joyful people with incredibly strong faith in God, willing to share whatever they have with strangers or others in need. The people that we have met had no doubt that everything that they had came because God gave it to them, whether it was a roof over their heads, food on the table, shirts on their backs, or even the strength to go and fetch water for the family. Having almost nothing, they had no issue with giving God thanks for everything, and their joy is unforgettable.
It is so different here in the nation that arguably enjoys the highest standard of living ever. It is almost as if our appreciation for God’s provision is diminished by each piece of furniture or furnishing that we put in our home. When the walls are bare, we rejoice that God has provided us with a home, because a home is such a significant investment. Yet we think that we are the ones who provide for the beds, the couches, the televisions, the paintings, the table and chairs, the appliances, and whatever else fills our homes with comfort. With each piece, we cover the sign of God’s provision with a tribute to our own efforts, unaware that God blessed us with the smaller things as well. Our luxury blurs our understanding that everything comes from God, which then makes us less grateful for what we have. Unfortunately, when the abundance of our blessings should make us the most joyful people of all time, we are instead left thinking that we deserve all that we have and more, which then leads us to dissatisfaction with what we do have.
If God is truly God, then it stands to reason that He must ordain whatsoever comes to pass. By extension therefore, not only did God bless you with a place to live, but with the means to furnish it to your desired level of comfort. But it also means that He blessed you with the ability to earn whatever you needed to outfit your home, fund your bank account, and even your retirement account. Ultimately, it means that He even gave you the ability to read this post right now, with your heart pumping blood and your lungs taking in oxygen. These things are no less true whether we live in luxury or in poverty. Its just more obvious when we have fewer things cluttering our view of God’s hand of provision.
Joy and gratitude go hand in hand, so today, if you are feeling like you could use more joy in your life, start by looking around at all of the things in your life that you take for granted and realize that they are not signs of your own efforts, but rather testaments to the abundance of blessings poured out by God. Yes, it may have been your paycheck that allowed you to have the lifestyle that you enjoy, but God gave you everything you needed to earn it, so go back to the very basics of life and begin counting your blessings. Hopefully, you will find that as your gratitude grows, your joy will increase as well.
Peace and blessings – Pastor Aaron