Another Crazy Peroni Road Trip

This week, my family which consists of Karen, my wife, and my 4 kids (Cameron 7, Katelyn 5, Jack 2, and Emma 1) all piled in the Toyota minivan heading on another road trip. This time we headed to South Carolina. We fell in love with Mount Pleasant, SC. From our Sunday at Seacoast Church www.seacoast.org to the many beaches to the historic views of downtown Charlestown nearby, this area is like heaven on earth! The picturesque scenery, quaint shops, the abundant number of things to do, the history and climate all make it difficult to leave.

We all compare what we don’t have to what we already have. Why do we do this? We are always looking for the next best thing. Sometimes when our motives are pure this can be a good thing such as when we are seeking a better relationship with Christ or seeking to do more of God’s work. However when we seek better things just to compete with others or for selfish reasons, this can cause many problems.

Learning to be content

For many of us, we need to learn contentment. We need to be like Paul when he said, “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:11-13). In other words, we need to be happy and grateful for what we already have.

Are you healthy?
Do you have a roof over your head?
Do you have clothes to wear?
Do you have food on the table?
Do you have running water?

If you said yes to most or all of these then you are already blessed. Look at www.globalrichlist.com, plug in your salary and you will see how blessed you really are.

Now contentment is essential, but this does not mean you should be complacent.
You should seek to be grateful for what God has done in your life, while remaining determined to see him do more. Sometimes He calls us out of our comfort zones to do bigger and better things. What is He calling you to do? Are you holding back?

There’s a fine line between contentment and complacency. Living a stagnant and stationary life and calling it “contentment” is not what God had in mind for us. However we need to balance contentment and complacency. I know I have a long way to go, but it begins when I’m totally grateful for God’s blessings today yet I am completely determined to move forward tomorrow.