It’s easy to think the grass is always greener in your neighbor’s yard. And perhaps it is. At least the part you can see.
But remember…When you’re weary of fixing another meal and doing dishes yet again, somebody wishes they had food to put on the table.
When you’ve folded and put away a(nother) mountain of laundry, somebody wishes their children had proper coats and hats to wear to school.
When you’re groaning over the highest heating bill yet this year, somebody wishes they weren’t so cold.
When you’re losing sleep and gagging over a child’s stomach bug episode, somebody is praying for a miracle over her child’s hospital bed.
When the exhaustion and nausea of the first trimester are about to do you in, somebody is weeping (yet again) over a negative pregnancy test.
When your headache intensifies over your teen’s college financial paperwork, somebody is visiting the site of her teen’s fatal wreck.
When you wake up to another cloudy, rainy day, somebody is praying for moisture to end a season of drought.
When you pick up your husband’s dirty socks and take out the trash because he forgot, somebody is wishing that for just a moment she didn’t have to do it all alone, all the time.
The next time your situation threatens to steal your joy, try to remember… somebody wants what you have.
Give thanks in all circumstances…
1 Thessalonians 5:18
{ 11 trackbacks }
{ 103 comments… read them below or add one }
Amen, amen and amen…nothing else needs to be added.
this hit me where I needed it today. Thank you.
@Erin, Likewise and thank you so much.
you almost had me in tears. i am so blessed!
Amen!
Beautiful!
Well said. Thanks.
Absolutely true. Thanks for the reminder. Cranky pants me needed that today.
So true…I needed to hear that today!
Well said, and the reminder I need at this very moment on this very day….thank you!
Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!
Excellent.
Thanks for the reminder! It’s so easy to complain about things but if we keep in mind that so many people would long for these things to complain about it sure does put things in perspective.
Thank you so much for the great reminder! I really needed to hear that today! I share with all my friends on Twitter and Facebook
~ Lacie
I needed this today and almost everyday reminder. We have so much to be thankful for.
So true, thank you for the reminder…I needed it today!
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
I have a photo that is posted on the inside of my kitchen cabinet. It was emailed with a ton of photos from a friend. The photo is of a military mom on her knees, backpack still on, crying and embracing her 2 yr old daughter in the airport. The picture speaks volumes. Everything I get frustrated over socks and toys lying around, I open my cabinet and am reminded that their is a mother out there that is missing a year of their child’s life. Something that time can’t replace, yet she does it to protect my family. This too will go inside my cabinet door.
May God continue to bless you and your family as you bless others.
On the days that my wonderful husband is driving me absolutely nuts I try to remind myself that I begged God for him. Kinda helps me put things in perspective, as did this.
Gulp.
That’s me swallowing that post.
Loved it. Thanks, Sweet Amy!
I needed this today, Thank you!
Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. Thank you for the reminder.
OMG! Thank you so much for that! So, so true, I am truly blessed!
Thank you, and blessings on your day!
This is a great reminder on those days when I am feeling low! THANK YOU!
Amen
Well written.
This is awesome! Sometimes storms bring more praise than the average day. It’s so easy to forget. Well said, indeed!
Great post. Something that everyone needs to remember, each and every day.
OH.MY.GOODNESS did I need this. It’s been a very rough day here today. And I would love to blame my circumstances and just throw myself a pity-party, but the reality is, it could be so much worse. Thank you for reminding me of this.
I enjoyed that post. Well written. Lots to think about.
I’m so thankful for turning on the faucet and having clean delicious water come out, when I know that there are people who would beg for a clean well in their village. I’m so thankful for waiting in the dentist and doctor offices last week, because I have health insurance and can go when I need to (and definitely needed to last week), when I know there are so many who don’t and can’t.
On a day where having two kids and a husband has seemed so overwhelming and awful, this post has humbled me. Thank you!
Thank you for putting things into perspective. I pray that I would have this perspective on a more regular basis. That verse is a great reminder.
Very simple, potent, and true. Thank you for the reminder. =)
This brought tears to my eyes… I really needed to to read this! Thank you so much for posting.
Nicely done. Thanks, Amy.
Oh my this post needed a warning on it. Many tears! Thank you for the reminder of what I have. That’s what I needed to make a tough decision today. Thanks again!
Perspective is a necessary thing in this life. thanks for the reminder.
Even though I have been doing the last remark for the past 8 years, and wish he were available to help me, I know we are blessed as God has more than met all of our needs, I needed the reminder of how truly blessed we are. Thanks for the reminder, great post!
Praise God for such an awesome post! God is good!
Thanks so much for this post, Amy. It is really, really good. So true.
a great reminder! Thanks.
amen! this is very true!!!
Very powerful post. Thanks for sharing.
It really is a great way to put our mundane tasks into perspective!
Wow!
This is SO GOOD. And SO true…thank you for the reminder.
I try to remember these types of things all the time. I know how fortunate I am compared to many people. I try my best to enjoy every piece of the joy God has place in my life and I try to be a good friend by helping others allow themselves to do the same.
There’s joy everywhere if you choose it.
Thanks so much, this was truly inspiring.
I needed this – it’s almost as if you wrote it just for me. Thank you.
Inspiring words. A meditation in blog form. I hope never to forget these truths! Thank you.
Nice reminder that we have so much and many others have so little.
I’m printing this out and putting it on my fridge where I’ll see it every crazy, hectic morning. Thank you for the humbling reminder of the things I take for granted every day!
WOW! that sure hit home with me and what words of truth! Thanks for sharing such a lovely post! God’s blessings to you and have a wonderful week!
Thanks for a great perspective check. It’s easy to get lost in day-to-day crappy things and lose sight of the great things.
Thanks Amy. My personal mission right now is to count it all joy (James 1:1), even the toughest bits. I touched on it yesterday in the context of laundry, but every day James reminds me in all sorts of ways. What a wonderful reminder!
That’s a great verse, too. Count it all joy!
This is so true. Thank you so much for the reminder.
So true and convicting as well. I needed to hear this today. (especially the part about the first trimester struggles) Thank you.
This is all so TRUE! Thank you for posting this! I’m sure a lot of people, including me, needed to read this today!
Hugs,
Coreen
http://www.velvetoversteel.com
Thanks so much for this Amy. I drove the 30 miles to work this morning in a bad mood: woke up with a headache, thick, thick fog and could not pass a slow driver ahead – ugh! Before I opened your blog, I literally said to myself “come on Amy, give me something to perk me up today”, and boy did you! God never ceases to amaze me as he works through others to help me! Thanks again!
Really?! Gosh, I’m glad I didn’t post a coupon match or something.
Boy did I need this today. Thanks for the lift and great perspective.
Much needed today… thank you! : )
Thanks for this–after a week of 5 pink eyes, a pukie, and 4 colds..this was necessary! I have so much to be thankful for right now.
Oh, you poor thing! That sounds miserable… hope things are on the upside now!
Isn’t this the truth! Thanks, Amy.
so true. thanks for the reminder. i need to read this every day.
what precious reminders!! when I get self-absorbed in pity parties, I will start saying aloud as I fold clothes, “thank you Jesus for children who are healthy enough to dirty this clothes.” I will stand and wash dishes saying, “thank you for the food to eat and the running water to wash.” It sure changes you perspective!!
This is so true – I feel like I should stop and read this every morning. I know I had a richer day today because I read it this morning. Thanks.
Excellent post. We are all richly blessed in ways that we never even notice.
Thanks I really, REALLY needed that today..
Sue
)
This post was a real blessing to me. Five 1/2 years ago, I was that woman crying over a negative pregnancy test; four years ago, my family were praying for a miracle as I went into the hospital with life-threatening pregnancy complications; and 2 1/2 months ago, I was that mother praying for a miracle over her child’s hospital bed. It’s good to be reminded of those events (and the fact that they all, ultimately, ended positively) because they refresh my perspective–compared to those crises, my daily “struggles” are a blessing!
Oh, Kathryn. You’ve been through a lot! So thankful for the positive outcomes.
Great post. Definately helps me refocus and give god thanks.
What a great post! Thank you for reminding me to be thankful in all circumstances.
Linked. When I count my blessings, I count you twice! :>)
You’re sweet.
Contentment is knowing that God has given you everything you need.
Thanks for the reminder!
Amen! Thank you for the reminder. This has greatly blessed me today.
That was beautiful. I’m feeling really happy all of a sudden.
How true this is. I see all of those things everyday here in India. And I sometimes still forget.
Thank you for this, Amy. It’s so easy to forget how good we really have it.
What a great reminder to be thankful no matter what!! THANKS!
So important to keep in mind at all times. Thank you for the reminder.
Amy, you are SUCH a blessing! Powerful, meaningful, wonderful words that touched my spirit. Thank you for your continued insight.
What a great reminder. I love this post. I am including it in my list of favorites for this week and linking it back to you.
Thank you for sharing these words – such great reminders. Last summer I wrote a blog post called: How Do I Know…… to help me be less critical, yours help me be more grateful. Thank you and blessings
Christina
That sounds like a good one, too, Christina.
Okay, I’m totally bookmarking this to return to whenever I’m not feeling very grateful. Thank you for the perspective!
What abundance I have! I did have a rough day today, but am so grateful for all He’s given me. Thank you for great perspective. What a blessing you are!
Powerful post!
So beautiful and true. I shared it on FB.
We are entering a stressful season of life . . . I have come back to reread this many times in the last two weeks. Thank you!
Beautiful post. It’s so hard to be content sometimes. Thanks for the reminder.
Today is absolutely the day I needed to read this!
A friend just linked this on her Facebook. It really turned my day around. Beautiful and humbling. Thank you!
Absolutely amazing! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you! I think I was supposed to find this today. I found you thru http://victoryrunning.blogspot.com/ Beautiful post! Thanks again.
Amen and Amen!! As the old saying goes “I cried because I had no shoes, then I met a man who had no feet.”
Rejoice always, indeed.
Great post! I shared it on my blog. Such great reminder!!
Blessings,
Cyndi
wow, what a great post!
This is perhaps the best post I have ever read. It is exactly my philosophy on life.
-Phyllis
Thank you! I printed this out to tape by my kitchen sink.
Maybe I should put one on the bathroom mirror too. 
We live with far less than the majority of our ‘peers,’ yet I often think we still buy too much and have much more than we really need.
I need frequent reminders myself.