Comparison, Contentment, and Thanksgiving

I'm asking the same question I am hearing from so many - "Where did the summer go?" Next week is Labor Day! It seems as if every summer goes by in the blink of an eye. I always feel like there was so much more that I wanted to do, but then school starting and everything being about fall decor and pumpkin-spice reminds me that fall is upon us already!  I want to thank everyone who took the time after my last blog post to write a comment letting me know that you are reading and being blessed by this blog. I appreciate every comment and it is an encouragement to me to keep writing as I am able, at least for now. My intention in writing is not only to share family news and homemaking inspiration, but always to encourage women to really know God, and to let their light for Him shine in their homes and especially through their lives.

This morning I want to share something from my heart that God has shown me this past week. I think it's pretty safe to assume that if I needed it, maybe someone else does, too. And that is the idea that we cannot really be thankful for something when we are wishing for something else.

My Bible reading took me to Matthew chapter 20, verses 1-16. This is the parable about the workers who were hired to work in the fields, some at the beginning of the day and some at the last hour. At the end of the day when it came time for them to receive their wages, the ones who were hired first and worked all day were very unhappy because they received the same amount as those who were hired at the last minute and worked for only a short time. The verse that really hit home with me was verse 15, the words of the master of the house: "Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?"

"Or do you begrudge my generosity?" That is such a convicting question, isn't it? Because I know I do just that sometimes. Often, if truth be told.

In this parable, at first glance it might seem as though the workers who had worked all day were being treated unfairly. But that is not the case. They had agreed to the amount (verse 2) and they were paid the amount that they had been promised (verse 10). The master did nothing wrong. And this is the thing: They would have been perfectly happy with what they received - until they compared what they received with the others who had not worked as many hours. Then it didn't seem like it was enough. They wanted more and felt like they deserved it.

I am so much the same way. I have realized that my prayers of thanksgiving so often have "Even though..." attached to them. "Thank You for my home....even though it really isn't our house."  "Thank You for my job...even though I wish I didn't have to work full-time." "Thank You for my kids and my grandkids....even though I don't get to see them as often as I'd like." Etc. Etc. It's hard to be truly thankful when you are at the same time wishing you had more.

Do we accuse the Lord of being unfair to us? Perhaps not with our words, but in our hearts? Do we feel that because we have served Him faithfully for such a long time that we deserve more? Do we look at others who have it much easier or have what we wish for, and what we have just doesn't seem to be enough or fair? I would go back to the first verse I gave you, verse 20. The master is in charge. He has every right to do whatever he wants with what is his.

I think the key to being truly thankful with whatever we have been given or allowed to have is to remember who we are. We came into this life with nothing, and we will exit with nothing. We don't deserve a thing. Anything that God gives us is a gift of His grace to us. When we accept it joyfully, rather than looking around and comparing what we received to what others have received, it will go a long way to being truly content and thankful.

Thoughtfully and gratefully,
Kathi