Tuesday, January 10, 2017

First World Problems

I stood in the bathroom, listening to the shower run, tapping my toe impatiently, waiting for the hot water to kick in. No joke it took about 10 minutes. Nathaniel was at work and I was hoping to quickly take a shower before the baby woke up from the darn molars that have been bothering her for what seems like months. So who has 10 minutes to spare waiting for the water to get warm?
"At least you have warm water."
Conviction hit me. And I flashed back to our first year of marriage when we lived in Panama and every shower was cold. We had buckets outside to catch rain water for flushing the toilets, hoping to lengthen the amount of time the running water would last on the missions base where we lived.
I sometimes get a little grumpy about doing laundry in the coin machines here ($2 to finish a load! My quarters disappear so fast...). And then I remember needing to take a taxi down to the laundry mat and sit there while it finished. Here I can just walk down the hall and leave it there and return when it's done.  
Our life before was NOT bad at all! It's just now, we are more comfortable. Inconveniences that I let get under my skin sprout from being ungrateful. When in reality we are SO blessed. It helps me so much when I start to complain if I stop and put things into perspective.
How so many other people live.
What so many other people are going through.
How many people are hungry, scared, and alone.

And that will knock me off my high horse so quickly. First world problems are not problems. They are inconveniences that many other people wish they could be inconvenienced with.

I will chose to be grateful. Even if I have to be reminded everyday.

"It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name... to declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night." —Psalm 92:1-2