...contentment & gratitude...

I wrote in a recent post about simply coming into God's presence and being satisfied in Him without coming for a reason or for an answer or for my own gain.

This morning this little devotional thought (from Experiencing God Day by Day) really spoke along these same lines:

"Contentment demonstrates your belief that God loves you and has your best interest in mind.  Discontentment stems from the sin of ingratitude and a lack of faith that God loves you enough to provide for all that you need."

That just gets me right in the heart!

For months now the Lord has been revealing this revelation of gratitude to me.  And it is a revelation, let me tell you!  For when we come before Him with gratefullness, we experience rich blessing in our spirits.

But ungratefulness keeps us from the very best He has to offer. I know this because it's been a daily struggle.  To wake up and be full of joy and thankful for the day God has given is hard.

The Lord first spoke this to my heart in reading through the Old Testament and the ridiculous story of the Israelites who lived in this cycle of sinning, repenting, receiving blessing, then going right back to their sin again.  And I still hear that voice telling me, "Ungratefullness kept the Israelites in the desert for FORTY YEARS!"

Yuck!  Let me not hinder the promises God is just waiting to fulfill in my life simply because I'm whiney and tired and grouchy today!

It really comes down to choice.

Will I choose to wake up this morning and be a wicked witch to my family?

Or will I wake with joy (no matter what early morning hour those kiddies wake me!) and be thankful for life today, whatever it holds?

Oh man, I just need to get it through my thick head and stubborn heart.  It's really simple!  It's a simple choice.  Let's choose joy today.  Let's choose life today.  Let's choose freedom today.  Through contentment.  Through gratefullness.

"...for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." Philippians 4:11