How 'rich' is your life?

My husband and I live in a nice house. We have a functional car (thanks to a recent, unbelievably pricey clutch replacement) and go to bed every night with full stomachs. We meet the tax, insurance, utility bills and mortgage demands each month without feeling the pinch too badly. Most months, we have enough left over to go out for meals, day trips and other events some would consider to be luxurious. We have constant jobs, with a consistent flow of finance that keep us in this privileged position. As I write this blog from the comfort of my sofa, on my personal laptop, the TV is running in the background, the central heating is turned up and there is a steady flow of hot tea at my fingertips. I imagine most of you, for the very fact that you are reading this blog, can say the same. If so, congratulations; you join me in the world’s top 8% of wealthiest people, even those of you who are going through hard times at the moment. 

When we take the time to count our blessings, we can surely find reason to be thankful. These few alone will inspire gratitude in us and we haven’t even scratched the surface… Should I continue to list things in my life to be grateful for, in no time, I’d have a list a mile and a half long. And yet, how is it that we still manage to find the points of contention, the gripes, the moans so often in our days? We, often subconsciously, compare and contrast our lives with those of our peers, finding reason to be jealous and resentful of what others have; 

In wealthy terms, you’re wealthier than the majority of the world’s population. But, in my opinion, this does not mean that your life is rich. 

Because a rich life is defined by gratitude, satisfaction, contentment and fulfillment.

It’s spent investing in positive relationships.
Laughing with abandon.
Smiling without hesitation.
Listening with attentiveness.
Giving with boldness.
Loving with selflessness.
Praying with fervency.

It’s about finding joy in the ordinary things. The everyday. The moments that we so often take for granted. If we focus on these things and I mean really focus on them with eyes that are opened to the good, rather than the ‘not-so-good’, ‘could-do-better’ attitude we are taught to adopt by our Western society, then who can say how our lives could be changed? Try it, it’ll make you richer.

‘For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich’.
(2 Corinthians 8:9)