Gratitude

Recently, I have been having some trouble with materialism, specifically wanting nicer clothes and home furnishings. It's not that there is anything at all wrong with what I have, I just wanted things bigger and better, and it was getting me down. Instead of appreciating the wonderful home that I have and my amazing family, and the fact that I can be a stay-at-home mom, I was getting a little distracted by longing for material things. A few days ago, I was really given a good wake-up call from God in the form of a song I was listening to by Nichole Nordemann called, "Gratitude". This is a link to the lyrics: http://www.christianlyricsonline.com/artists/nichole-nordeman/gratitude.html I really love this song, but it had been a while since I had listened to it. It is written like a prayer, and the singer asks God for things like daily bread, and peace. But the singer acknowledges that even if God does not bless her with those things, she will still give thanks to Him for whatever lesson He has taught her through the experience. I realized instantly that I am so deeply blessed by God and that material things are entirely inconsequential. God reminded me of what is written in Luke 12 when Jesus says, "Do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes." My Lord has and will continue to provide for me everything that is necessary, and all the abundance that I have now is His. I just need to trust Him with it! I know that this can be difficult, and I think us women fall prey to materialism, whether it is coveting nice things for ourselves, our husbands, homes, or children. I am so glad that God spoke to me to help me get through that tricky time and remind me what is most important, and my continual prayer is that we will keep our eyes on Jesus and desire Him, not other things.