Gifts

Last night, I saw my very good friend, Danielle for the first time in two years. She has been serving as a missionary in East Asia and returned to Texas yesterday morning - you can read about her life here. Hugging her, sitting beside her on the couch talking face to face for the first time in two years, I realized how convenient my life is.

Everything is at my fingertips.

Danielle was describing to me her fear of facing the WalMart cereal aisle. The overwhelming number of toothbrushes there will be for her to choose from. Because, for the past two years, she has lived simply, she has lived with one or two choices because that's what was available. There wasn't the convenience of the mega-super-store with an entire aisle lined with cereal boxes.

Not only is it convenient for me to run to Target and get the five must have items on my shopping list, my family is close by, my job is constant, my iPhone keeps me connected to anything I could ever be connected to. And while, some conveniences are wonderful (like most of my family living within 20 minutes of me), some are just ridiculous.

The bottom line is I take them all for granted.

So, as I reflect over the past 24 hours. Stop. Pause. Breath in and out. I think that I have been given this gift, this luxury of convenience. Access to a running car, a job that pays me a fair salary, family that lives nearby, more than 3 grocery stores within 5 miles of my home, a roof over my head, a husband who loves me, clothes on my back, and on and on.

And I find myself still thinking that this is not enough.

I need more.

Ugh. That is so just gross of me.

I'm feeling the need to simplify. To prayerfully consider supporting/sponsoring a child who does not have the same conveniences that I do. I want to stop being so stinking selfish and me-me-me driven. I hope you'll pray with me as I pray for a heart of thankfulness.

** To check out some of my book-clubbing friend's responses to Ann Voskamp's One Thousand Gifts, check out our book-club momma's blog http://thekisers.blogspot.com/p/book-club_25.html :) **