Contentment Whatever Our Circumstances May Be

Romans 9:13
Philippians 4:11-14

My best reminder to be content

Do you ever want a different life from the one you have? Do you wish some of the challenges you have were given to someone else instead? Or on the contrary, do you ever feel guilty for what you have that others do not? Do you ever feel obligated to eat more beans and rice and make do with old items so that someone in a third-world country might be able to actually eat a meal and own a shirt?
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Sometimes it's good to indulge and sometimes it's good to sacrifice. But both should be done out of our own calling from the Lord, not out of guilt or dissatisfaction over where He has placed us. Why has He chosen me to live in privileged United States, not wealthy compared to many around me yet certainly far better off than so many in the world? Why has He protected me from real persecution for my faith when so many others have died to defend His name? And yet, why have I always been forced to budget carefully, knowing my finances might prevent me from good things, when so many others seem ready to spend incredible (in my eyes) quantities of money on whatever they like? We spend too much of our time comparing ourselves and our lives with others out of dissatisfaction for what God has given us. What we have been given and where we have been placed is where we can most effectively serve the Lord.