You Have It!
4/24/20235 min read
What are you longing for? What do you wish you had?
I bet you said money….or your own home…..or a car……or a “better” job…..or your own business…..or a husband (or wife for our male readers).
What if I told you that you already have all that you need?
Yes, you do.
We spend our entire lives striving. Always reaching for the elusive one more thing. “If only I had……”; “If only…….., then i would be happy or contented.” We are therefore never contented because we never seem to have all that we want.
Humor me a bit. Get a blank sheet of paper and a pen and write a list of all that you have. Here is a clue - do we need money or the things we believe we can buy with money? Now go ahead and write your list. I’ll wait. Click on the link for a two-minute timer and GO!.
My list?
My immediate family who love me and whom I love - husband, 3 children, parents, 6 sisters
My church family and friends who care about me and support me
My self-sufficient adult children
A clean bill of health
My roof top on which I can relax and fully enjoy the sunrise, sunset, and nature
My yoga classes and opportunity to stretch and strengthen my core muscles
The 10-week ‘Love Like You Mean It’ small group study my husband and I are participating in
My 31 year old marriage the anniversary of which I celebrated this week - God’s goodness and grace to us
The beautiful island of Jamaica in which I live
The beaches, road trips, nature spots, friendly people I get to enjoy as often as I want
The abundance of fruits at my disposal all year round - mango, pineapple, banana, naseberry, starapple, otaheti apple, papaya, orange, june plum, coconuts
The abundance of vegetables at my disposal all year round - cucumber, sweet pepper, tomato, pumpkin, callalloo/bhaji, okra, string bean, pak choi
Healthy carbohydrate options at my disposal - breadfruit, yam, green banana, green and ripe plantain, sweet potato, cassava
The abundance of tasty and aromatic herbs and spices at my disposal - thyme, escallion, scotch bonnet pepper, pimento seeds (allspice), rosemary, ginger, curry
The abundance of medicinal herbs and natural bushes - moringa, fever grass, guinea hen weed, etc.
My beautiful home surrounded by plants, flowers, trees, and birds
Electricity, clean running water, sunshine to dry my clothes
My business and the opportunity to earn income to buy what I want
My library of books collected over the years - hardcopy and virtual (Kindle)
What do you notice about my list? Tell me in the comments.
The Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 6:6-10 that
“... true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.”
It’s good to have money and all the things money can buy. Ask any rich person if that is enough to fill their inner being and fulfill them. No, they ALL need to find meaning and purpose.
The Apostle Peter tells us how in 2 Peter 1:3
“By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for life and godliness. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by His own glory and excellence.”
Similarly, the Psalmist David says in Psalm 37:4
“Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
I wish you and I would just rest in the simplicity of that truth, STOP striving, and trust like a baby trusts his mother that our heavenly Father has given us everything we need and that he will give us the desires of our heart.
More and more each day, I am amazed at the simple pleasures I can readily enjoy. Free yet taken for granted - fresh air, the cool, gentle early morning and late evening breezes. The quiet of the early morning before everyone awakes. The sound of the birds starting up their chorus around 6:00 a.m. each morning. The hummingbirds feeding from the flowers at my kitchen window. I am soooooo blessed. So are you.
Your Weekend Reset Tip
This week is to LIST all the things God has already given you. Yes, write them down, if you didn’t earlier in the blog. Think about ALL that you have. Relish them. Enjoy them. Appreciate them. Share them in the comments. Give thanks for them. Keep adding to that list and when you are tempted to forget what you have, read your list.
You have one more thing you can add to your list - the opportunity to become a part of a community of like-minded women who are together learning to maximize our potential and fulfill our God-given purpose as we become our best selves in Christ Jesus. Click HERE to join.
If you feel depleted, defeated and stuck and you want to discover what is keeping you stuck, how to find purpose and fulfillment, and live the abundant life Christ died for you to have, schedule a free coaching session HERE to discuss whether my Recharge and Reset Coaching Programme is what you need, and if not, point you to other resources.
Sharon Carruthers, the author of the ‘Weekend Reset’ blog is a child of God, wife, mother of 3, a Human Resource Management and Development Consultant, and owner of the firm, ‘Bold Consulting’. She is sharing from her own experiences for women who are holding back, or living on autopilot; who believe their identities are in others and, or in what they do; or who neglect themselves while sacrificially taking care of others. She hopes that together Christian women can embrace the future with the beautiful hope of transformation one step at a time.