On Thursday night I came home from a church board meeting and I thought to myself, Lord, you have been so good to me. Thank you Father, that I can come home to my wonderful wife – she is such a blessing to me. As a pastor, I take Friday as my Sabbath and shortly after I woke up I thought to myself, Lord, thank you that you have commanded us to take one day out of the week to rest. After spending the day with Steph and our twin daughters, Elizabeth and Anna, on Friday evening I thought to myself, Lord, thank you for this family time we have enjoyed together. As I sit and type this article, I think to myself, Lord, thank you for providing this amazing computer that helps me in so many ways.

When we stop to think of all the ways that God has blessed us, it is truly overwhelming. God has been so good to us and there is much to be thankful for. The secret to being content is to recognize all the little ways that God has blessed you and continues to bless you. Most of us are good at recognizing all the ‘big’ ways that God blesses us, but we tend to miss all the ‘little’ ways God provides and supplies in our lives.

If you want a fun exercise, take a few minutes to jot down all the ways that God has blessed you. Jot down all the ways that God brings joy and delight and laughter into your life, as well as the basic necessities of life that God provides you with on a daily basis. I can almost guarantee that you will be amazed at the goodness of God through this simple exercise.

The apostle Paul writes, “Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.” (1 Timothy 6:6-7) I have never seen a U-Haul behind a hearse and I don’t ever expect to see one. We really don’t need a bunch of toys to make us happy. Instead, we need to recognize all the ways that God has already blessed us.

The secret to being content is most certainly found in knowing Christ. When you understand what you already have in Christ, then you know that there is nothing that could ever top that. However, God doesn’t stop pouring out His blessings upon His children just because they are in union with Christ. Instead the blessings multiply. The trick is to recognize those blessings and the immense grace and mercy of our Heavenly Father.

Thank you God for your goodness to us! We praise your glorious name!