Perspective

I know I'm not the best at this, but it's something I am trying to do more often. This all came up when I was complaining about the cold, because winter is just something I have to survive every year. I hate it. Plain and simple. There is no joy to me in having sub-zero temperatures, white junk on the ground, a layer of ice on the roads, and wearing 15 layers of clothes to avoid frostbite (not to keep warm, just avoid frostbite). The only good thing about winter is Dustin's work slows down enough that he feels he can take holidays - and we're finally getting to the point where we can afford to fly somewhere warm as a family to have a break from the cold some years. Nothing else is good about winter. I'm not into snowmobiling, skating, or any outdoor activities. It's literally a "stay inside as much as I can" season.......
See! Here I go again with the complaining!

Anyway, the perspective I'm talking about in my title is this;
"Man- it's ridiculously cold out!!" - Be thankful we have a warm house!

How many other areas of my life could I apply this to? Probably all if I tried. Here's a few more I came up with when I started thinking about it more.

"I hate getting into a cold car!" - Be thankful you have a car (that's mine to use whenever I want since we also have a truck!)

"My boys treat my living room like a gymnasium!" - Be grateful for healthy, active boys.

"My house seems so untidy with all the Christmas stuff out" - there's a whole bunch of needless stuff to be thankful for.

"My closet is too small and is overflowing" - that means I have a lot of clothes ... be thankful.

Are you getting the idea here? I complain about so much stuff, missing the chance to be thankful and feel blessed all the time. And yet, the blessings continue to flow in my life every day.
Even with my neck being soooo terribly sore last week, (granted I was in miserable pain), I don't think I ever really thought about how lucky I am that I could just call my chiropractor and have it fixed up without a real thought about what it would cost. We have good coverage through Dustin's work... another thing I take for granted now.

The Christmas season makes me think of these things a lot more easily, but it should be something we think of all year round. I live in a prosperous country, with decent healthcare (nothing's perfect!), I have an adoring hubby - who has a great job (nothing's perfect!), two beautiful healthy kids - with access to a good education. We live comfortably in a beautiful house, our fridge is full, and our pantry is overflowing. We have good neighbours and friends close by, and we have the freedom to attend church anywhere we want and worship our God freely.

Why am I still complaining?!