Wednesday's Warrior~"Appreciate The Life You Have Right Now"

     Being ungrateful is a horrible habit to start and a hard one to break. I know, because for the past few months, I've been feeling agitated and ungrateful and have had an attitude to match. I've even expressed these sour feelings when the words "I hate this house" came out of my thankless mouth one day. I've played these lines over and over in my head: "The house is a continuous mess, (and way to small!) the kids don't listen, my husband is grouchy and unappreciative, the laundry is piled, I'm tired of scrimping and on and on."
     Last week, as I was picking up in the kitchen, I heard some mortifying words come from my twelve year old. "We need a new house. I hate this one."
     "What? You hate this house? How dare you say that? How could you be so thankless?" I thought silently. But I only said "Please don't say that." I knew what I had done.
     A few days ago, I sold a sewing machine to a woman who came to the front door with a huge grin on her face. "I am so jealous!" She wailed. "Just look at this place! Your house is so nice and the kids have so much room to run in the yard. I wish we lived in the country." I remained silent as she went on about how nice everything was. She was absolutely right. I felt guilty as charged: thanklessness in the first degree.
      After she left, on the Q-t, I locked the bathroom door and made it a point to take five minutes and evaluate my life. What was so wrong? Where did the "old me" go? My thoughts were as follows: I have a husband who:
Works.

Doesn't drink.

Doesn't smoke.

Doesn't gamble.

Doesn't like other chicks.

I really needed to be thankful for that.

Hmmm....What else?

I'm not sick.

I have kids that are healthy.

I have wheels and freedom.

I can grow my own food.

I have great friends who love and help me.

My parents are still alive.

I can buy anything, anything at all, if I really want it bad enough.

God loves me.

"OK, but my house is messy and small and nobody listens." 

                                    

"OK...I think I will."