This is something I find very true of my life when I did some reflection some years ago. I was reminded of this once again as I came across this article, so I thought I'd share it with everyone. May it encourage us to look forward to the future (one with a new heaven and earth) and yet take time to enjoy what we already have and be contented with what the Lord has graciously provided...

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Most of us these days live in a state of consistently seeking some newer, better fulfillment. This is the Age of Great Expectations - because we have so much choice and information, we learn to be disappointed with what we have fairly quickly and live in anticipation of something better "out there". We hardly take the time nor effort anymore to savour and enjoy what we already have. Rediscover our love for them, or find new things about them to love!

For instance, gone are the days when we searched all over for the record we wanted, nearly cried for joy when we finally found it, then listened to every track on the album over and over again and it became an essential audio-timestamp of that period in our lives. These days, we simply download whatever we want, scan through the tracks, and if nothing catches our fancy instantly, we move it to the Recycle Bin.

We have such low tolerance and patience these days! When something doesn't give us immediate gratification, we write it off as worthless, then move on to something else. We exist in a false hope of eventually finding The One that will make all of this searching and waiting worthwhile! This is true also of our relationships. Because we've grown up in a world of so many opportunities, we learn to keep looking out for the next and, we hope, bigger and juicier one.

This reminds me of a true story about a sailing vessel that got stranded with no wind in the Atlantic Ocean. All onboard were getting severely dehydrated and they were still hundreds of miles from port. Just when things were getting desperate, the crew from another clipper alerted them to the fact that they were floating on drinkable water! You see, the volume of flow of the Amazon River flowing into the Atlantic is so great that the river current carries fresh, drinkable water hundreds of miles out into the ocean! The crew had almost lost their lives waiting and pining for the elusive drinking water when what they needed to be fulfilled was right under their noses!

Now, is it possible that the fulfillment of your wishes might already be available right where you are, but in a form, or from a source, you haven't yet recognized? Are you being thwarted by your endless and fleeting quest for love, happiness and meaning from outside sources, or from sources whom you have yet to meet, believing that one day you will find "The One"?

What riches in your life right now are you not seeing?

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Things I thought about after reading this:
1)When was the last time I was really, really overjoyed about getting something I wanted? Somehow as our capacity to possess material things increases with age, the joy that comes with being having/getting/achieving something seems to lessen...

2)When was the last time I really believed God would provide something and patiently waited for Him to provide, without expecting quick results or without getting impatient or without doubting that God would really provide?

3)How often am I truly content with what I have and not constantly yearn for something better?