A Grateful Heart

How many times do we find ourselves envying others? "Sara" has such a great life or "Tommy" has it made. When we do this, we are adding a drop of poison to our souls and insult our Creator. If we are sure that we have done God's will to the best of our ability, then who are we to wish for anything different. If we have not been faithful to His laws, we still have a chance to turn our lives around.

Envy will take the soul to a place it does not belong. Once those doors are opened, the devil comes marching in whispering words of hatred and despair, convincing us that we are worthless and that others don't deserve what that have. Don't drink the poison. You can't imagine all the crosses that others have to silently bear.

Remember the old phrase, "count your blessings". This is so important. Everyone has something to be thankful for. Focus on those blessings and thank God for them. Thank Him for the sufferings as well because He has either given or allowed them for the good of our soul. Don't look for the reasons, just know that you are being guided by a loving God who could not have made you any more perfect than He already has. By perfect, I mean that God does not create anything or anyone in error.

God even uses our weaknesses for good. Think about it. What usually happens when catastrophe hits? The first response seems to be to pray! Also, when we see sickly children, our hearts burn with love for them and we want to help them. In the same way, our Lord loves us all the more when we are sick, whether it be mentally, physically or spiritually. He wishes to heal us if we desire it. Just like a doctor cannot cure an illness if we do not receive his prescription, God cannot heal us if we don't accept his commands.

So, take a look at yourself; you won't need a mirror. Look deep into your soul. Are you thankful? Are you at peace? Thank God for the beauty that He created and that beauty is you.