Be happy with what you have…

March 11, 2024

The Best of Jack’s Winning Words 3/11/24 – reprises of posts to the Jack’s Winning Words blog or the late Pastor Jack Freed. Originally sent July 10, 2015.


“Just remember there is someone out there that is more than happy with less than what you have.” (Unknown) When I first read this quote, I could not help but stop and put aside my personal complaints. I have so much, and there are so many who have so little. Is it that way with you? It’s an old saying, but it’s true: “I complained, because I had no shoes, until I saw a man who had no feet.” There are many reasons for us to be generous with our riches. 😉  Jack
 

It doesn’t take anything other than the nightly news to give one reason to be happy that they are not the people in the news that night. The bread-and-butter of the nightly news shows is sharing the suffering of others. Inevitably some news reports will interview someone who’s home was just destroyed and whose family was wiped out and ask that stupid question that they all seem to use, “How does that make you feel?” The reporter is hoping for tears and lamenting, which makes for great TV viewing – or so they think.

Getting back to the title theme, the conclusion that one should draw from this quote and other experiences and observations during the day is that we have much to for which to be  happy. Unfortunately, we in the United States live within a society which puts a high value of getting more – more money, more power and more possessions. We don’t have time to reflect upon and be happy about what we have, because that wastes time from our pursuit of more. Be happy with what you have.

Oft times, when my wife and I are about to leave for a shopping trip, I will ask er the question, “What do you need?” Her reply most often is, “What I need and what I want are two different things.” For most American’s that is the problem – our wants far outstrip our needs. It is also not unusual for the cost of what we want to exceed what we can afford. We end up spending money that we don’t have on things that we don’t need. Be happy with what you have.

So, how does one become happy with what they have? You might start by being happy that the Lord has given you another day on earth. Realize that not everyone got that gift. You probably heard about some who aren’t here today on last night’s news shows. Be happy with what you have.

As you head into the shower, think about all of the people who not only can’t take a shower, but who have no safe water to drink. That was on last night’s news, too. Be happy with what you have.

As you rummage through your overstuffed closet for today’s outfit, consider the people who just escaped a housefire with only the clothes (or pajamas) on their backs. Consider those migrants at the border or the refuges in Gaza who have only the clothes that they had on when they fled. Be happy with what you have.

Throughout your workday, think about how lucky you are to have a job and/or the freedom to seek another one, if your current job isn’t working for you. In parts of the world torn by chaos and war, there are no jobs. Be happy with what you have.

As you end your day, perhaps a prayer of thanksgiving is in order. Pause to consider all of the places in the world where freedom of religious expression is suppressed or nonexistent. Be happy with what you have.

If praying isn’t your thing, at least give some thought to the quote that Jack used in his post – “Just remember there is someone out there that is more than happy with less than what you have.” (Unknown) Reflect upon how that could be true and the blessings that you have will flood into your mind. You will be happy with what you have.

Now, doesn’t that make you feel better? Be happy with what you have.

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Posted by Norm Werner

 Be happy with what you have…

July 11, 2015

“Just remember there is someone out there that is more than happy with less than what you have.”  (Unknown) From the Jack’s Winning Words blog. Jack went on to write – When I first read this quote, I could not help but STOP and put aside my personal complaints.  I have so much, and there are so many who have so little.  Is it that way with you?  It’s an old saying, but it’s true.  “I complained, because I had no shoes, until I saw a man who had no feet.” 

Sadly, we live in a society that conditions us to be unhappy with what we have and to always be striving for more. Whatever we have is not enough to make us happy because someone else has more or different things.  Now there is certainly nothing wrong with striving to get ahead, but one has to stop every now and then and ask, “Ahead of what?” Very few of us live in survival mode, scraping along for our next meal or a place to sleep tonight; exercise wheelbut there are those people among us. In general we are able to provide at least food and shelter for our family and for most a good deal beyond just those necessities. But, are we happy with what we have; or, do we constantly want more, in the belief that having more will make us happier?

One of the most unhappy men in the Bible was the man who asked Jesus what he needed to do to get into heaven. When Jesus replied that he should sell everything that he had and give the money to the poor and follow him; the man wandered off unhappily muttering to himself, for we are told that he was very wealthy and obviously did not want to give up that wealth. Are we the same way today? Do we reach and reach and reach for what we don’t have, instead of being happy with what we do have and what would we do if Jesus asked us to sell everything that we have, give the money to the poor and follow him? Jesus might be a pretty lonely guy in today’s world.

The key to being happy with what you have, it seems to me, is to change your focus from things to people, from possessions to relationships, from those that you’d love to be like to those who love you as you are. Learn to girls huggingexpress your love for them without holding out a gift of some sort or buying a new possession to share with them. If you ever get to an honest state with them, they’d probably tell you that they could care less about your car or your house or your boat or any other of your possessions. What they value is your time and attention; your love and affection; you sharing of yourself and not your possessions.

What happens when you get to that state of understanding and happiness with your loved ones is that you grant yourself permission to be happy with what you have. That doesn’t mean that you just quit your job or don’t accept the next promotion or even stop looking for a bigger house someday. Giving yourself permission to be happy with what you’ve got just means that you will no longer use the pursuit of possessions as the measure of your life and your happiness. You stop keeping score on that scorecard, because you’ve started keeping score based upon the smiles on the faces of the one that father-daughter danceyou love; and those smiles come because you were there sharing your love and not because of what you brought with you. Once you change to that focus getting the next possession will be much less important to than attending the next little league game or the father daughter dance or maybe going out to dinner with your significant other.

Dale Carnegie  put it well when he said – “Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get.” May you find happiness in what you have.

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Posted by Norm Werner