By Andrea Goebel
God’s Way
“Oh, fish in the sea, come listen to me. My wife begs a wish from the magic fish.”
I still recall this line from the story “The Magic Fish” that my mom read to me as a child. The story tells of a poor fisherman who catches a magic fish that grants wishes. The fisherman’s wife asks for a pretty house, and although the fish gives her what she asks for, she is only happy for a short time before she asks for a castle. This cycle of dissatisfaction continues throughout the story until the fish tells her she wants too much and changes her castle back into the hut she and her husband lived in when the story began.
I thought of this story recently after I caught myself wishing for more in my own life:
“I wish I had a big, new house.”
“I wish I could go on a big vacation.”
“I wish …”
God stopped me in the middle of my derailing thoughts as I glanced at my children, who were playing in front of me. What more did I want in life than my family? Yes, we are in a hard season, but we have each other, and that is so much to be thankful for. Why did I think that a different lifestyle would bring me more joy?
When I confided in a friend about my struggles, she said she starts her day by praying an Our Father and telling God what she is grateful for. It’s a simple practice that changes our perspective. By focusing on our blessings, we realize how much God gives us and how much we truly have to be thankful for.
Our world emphasizes material happiness and stresses that more is better. That attitude cultivates greed and dissatisfaction as we constantly want more and refuse to be content with what we already have.
This truth hit me hard as I thought about my family. My husband and I are blessed with each other and our children. We have a home to live in, jobs to pay our bills and food to eat. We have loving friends and extended family. We have good health overall. And we have faith.
When we live with a heart of thankfulness and contentment, we appreciate the life God blesses us with, and we learn that true joy comes from him.
Psalm 118 offers us many verses that show us how to live with grateful hearts.
Verse 1 says: “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, his mercy endures forever.”
Verse 24 reads: “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice in it and be glad.”
Verse 28 reminds us: “You are my God, I give you thanks; my God, I offer you praise.”
Let us thank God for this miracle called life, and let us praise him for his goodness.