A couple of nights ago, my family was eating dinner and I resorted to the age old strategy of telling one of my kids that if they ate a good meal, they would get ice cream as dessert. Well, they finally cleared enough of their plate for me to allow the icy treat. So we go to the kitchen and I get out an ice cream cone and put a scoop of ice cream in it. And my kid is so excited. They are literally bobbing up and down with wide, starry eyes on the ice cream that they wanted. And then they said, “Can I have whip cream and a cherry?” to which I said “No, the ice cream is enough.” And the excitement and happiness that was bubbling over instantly flat lined. Did the ice cream all of the sudden turn into a dead fish? No, but judging by the look on my kid’s face, yep. I have never seen a kid so unhappy to get the ice cream they wanted. All because they decided they wanted something more.
God gives us blessings galore each and every day. Things that we don’t deserve. Things that are really wonderful. And yet we walk away unhappy, feeling gypped, because we focus on the things that we don’t have.
“I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.” (Phil 4:12-13)
The secret to happiness isn’t in having something; it’s in what you’re focused on. Today, focus on Jesus and I bet you’ll be satisfied.