Could you be content?

There are some people who seem to be born with silver spoon in their mouths while others go down the road of poverty for years.
Some folks have looks that are to die for and then there are those who with one look can kill you. Not Really.. but that's how it seems.
Of course, we know that there are those who can eat like a horse and stay the way they were when they entered the 12th grade.. skinny as a rail.
Then there are those like me that just the smell of a goody and my diet is shot for a whole month.
I have been reading my Bible where the apostle Paul talks about being content, in all circumstances.
Whether destitute or full and over flowing, we're to be content. You know, I've been thinking that there are those people who have beyond beautiful houses, with perfect looking spouses and pretty well behaved children and most likely a nice car to ride around town, in to boot.
Yet why is it that the house isn't good enough, they have to build fix or remodel, up grade I believe is the term.
They have wonderful wives, yet are willing to give it all up for a glance at a "younger,, skinnier,, prettier" version of what they think the going babe should look like according to the most recent billboard on the way to work, or that trash we saw on tv last night.
I wonder why when we have a car to drive and it is functioning perfectly fine, do we see the need to rush out and get ourselves right back into the debt that we swore we would never do again, and yet here goes another 5 years of our lives down the drain for a car that will rust and fall apart just like the other one did.
How is it that we Americans have to have the latest and greatest this that or the other thing? When there are hundreds of thousands of folks all across the world that are happy if they have one pair of shoes or one shirt to wear for work and one to wear when they walk 20 miles to go to church each week.
I am speaking to myself too. I look at the mounds of laundry that I have and say you know that is just too much clothing for one person and a couple of kids to have. Why the last I checked, I still only feel comfortable wearing one outfit at a time..(that is unless you are my son Jack, who wears five shirts, church vest, and five pairs of under ware along with six pairs of shorts and pants.. sometimes he can't even walk straight!)
You know what I think, this boils down too is the fact that we are not really content. We are trying to fill up our lives with so much stuff, music; sex; drugs; relationships; pets; hobbies, you know what else I may have left out because you too have areas in your own life that you aren't content with. Don't worry, I am not singling anyone out.
Just merely pointing out a fact that we are not a content people. The greedier the better seems to be the most popular goings on now-a-days.
So how do I fix it you might say? First, we need to take a look at our lives and see where it is cluttered and determine to de-stress, perhaps by throwing six bags of things to the thrifty shop that you haven't used in over a year, maybe it means that you go out one less day a week.
Maybe it means to stop enrolling your child in every event this side of glory. Believe me, they are not going to die if they are not in every single extra curricular activity known to man. There are those people in the world that never participated in this that and every activity that presented itself and you know what they are well rounded okay and even a stable person!
I figure it is like this, if we clear the clutter out of our dining room, we may enjoy eating at home for once. If we get rid of things that put stress on our marriages we may decide "Hey, I remember you and I actually kind of like you."
I remember when I was in youth group (yes years ago) that our pastor told us.. "If you have your priorities in line with God's word, your life will line up and you will be a lot more content with what you have."
God first, family next, church and work. If you think that you can devote 80 hours to work every week, go to every game, go out with friends constantly and or whatever else you can put on the list, you can't without something else cracking under the pressure. This is why over 50 % of marriages fail, and that's christian marriages as well, we are not exempt!
I am feeling the urge to write this.. I think that many marriages are falling apart today, for the mere fact that there is so much outside stress that you don't have time to nurture that God given opportunity when you said I do to the one that you now can't often stand, let alone remember what her favorite color is or when your anniversary is. We only tend to remember the wrong they have done or the things that they forgot to do to make us happy.
People think oh, if we just made more money or had more kids or add your own paraphrase here, that we will be happier.
No! what is that country song I used to hear? We need a bigger house to hold all our stuff.
We need to simplify! Get back to the basics. Focus on God and the good that He is doing ( even if you can't see it). Tell you spouse that you love and appreciate them often. There could come a day when you won't be able to do that and those moments are so very precious ( I know!)
You know what don't forget to tell your kids that you love them too. They deserve to hear good job kid I love you, even if they don't do everything exactly as you think they should or as perfectly as you could!
Let's make it our desire to live a quiet life and to be content with the things that we have!!
I will bet any money that if you and I would be content with what we already have. and truly content, that our Heavenly Father who wants to give us good gifts, would say well done thou good and faithful servant and bless us with a whole lot more!!

Just something to think about! I am thinking too!
God bless you and yours!!