It’s much better to dwell on what you have rather than on what you don’t have. Doing otherwise can lead to a life-long journey of trying to grasp something you can never obtain.
The famous commentator Matthew Henry once said, “People who are always content even if they have very little are much happier than people who are always craving more even if they have much.”
Dreams can be powerful things. God often gives them to people—and they’re strong motivators, but we must make sure they’re from God and not from our own imagination.
Dwelling on what we don’t have is a recipe for frustration and discontentment. God often gives us more, but it’s usually never enough when fixated on what we lack. A wealthy man once replied, “Just a little more,” when asked how much money was enough.
Taking a vow of poverty isn’t the solution either. We usually exchange one craving for other, giving up earthly pleasures but replacing them with striving after personal piety. This substitutes one fleshly pursuit for another.
Finding fulfillment in anything but God is like pursuing a mirage. It looks good from a distance, but when you get there, it’s gone—and you find yourself grasping after the wind.
Find satisfaction in what you have—not in the fantasy of what you don’t possess.
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Ken Barnes has had a twenty-five year career in educational pursuits. He has taught in various public and private schools in Pennsylvania, Hawaii, and Virginia. He also worked for seventeen years with Youth With A Mission as a school leader, recruiter, and director. Ken holds a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Virginia Commonwealth University. He is the author of The Chicken Farm and Other Sacred Places. He currently is a speaker, blogger, and freelance writer. Ken lives with his wife Sharon in Mechanicsville, Virginia. Visit Ken at https://sites.google.com/site/kenbarnesbooksite/