The Truth Is: I Don't Live in a Castle

But we like to call it HOME.

I read a quote the other day on Pinterest.  It's from Theodore Roosevelt:

"Comparison is the thief of JOY."

Since reading it, I've mulled it over and over in my mind.  Today, as I made my bed, it came to mind again.  You see, I found myself thinking of all of the things that our home is lacking. At the same time I recalled how often we have come home after a vacation, and plopped down on the couch (or in our own bed), and said "Home Sweet Home" -- and how we really-honest-to-goodness mean that.  And then I heard it replayed in my head: "Comparison is the thief of joy."

Comparison to what?  To ANYthing.  Comparing ourselves to anything that we are NOT, robs us of the joy we could experience being exactly the person that God intended us to be -- or having exactly the things that God intended us to have (in the case of our homes).

Here's an example.

I've come to grips with the carpet in our kitchen.  Really, I don't even think about how quirky it is, unless I compare myself to someone with a newer, fancier, and more updated kitchen.

When I am just here all day in my quirky, carpeted kitchen, what I am really thinking is how happy I am that I don't have to leave our home for anything on this freezing January day. My daughter would tell you the same.  She's homeschooled, so she hangs out here with me all day.  Often, she'll come to me with a hug and say, "Mama, I love our house!"  When I hear THAT, it's worth having a carpeted kitchen for life!

Who do you compare yourself to?

Do you compare your home to the home of a friend?

Do you compare your "stuff" and feel you are lacking?

All wasted time, my friend.

Contentment is:

NOT getting what you want,

but being satisfied with what you have.

Wishing you contentment beyond measure

in 2012!