Are we truly content?

Now, granted, Christmas is past and Santa has already flown back to the North Pole, but if Jesus is reading this, that'd be pretty cool.

All right, I know I'm pushing it a bit; yet sometimes I can't seem to help myself.  

Sadly, contentment isn't exactly something I learned in between algebra (which I never really got) and those dreaded SAT exams (which turned my already challenged brain into a complete pile of zombie mush.)

That "grass is always greener mentality" seems to lurk in the back of my mind at the most inopportune moments. 

Ok, mostly when I stand on the scale and pray with revival meeting-like fervor that the numbers will be kind. Or that the bon bons I shoveled into my mouth two days ago, will have had a chance to liquify their assets from my body before this weigh in.

(Btw, no on both counts.)

So what's a girl to do in this situation?

I've found what usually works for me is to stop and just take a deep breath, so my brain has a chance to slow down.  

(This also limits the possibility of it actually exploding or turning into a bunch of overstimulated fried wires.)

Gradually, the nagging monster of discontent fades and i can, once again, appreciate the positives staring back at me. 

No, Victoria's Secret won't be slapping a pair of wings and jewel encrusted bra on me anytime soon, but if I'm not content where I am right now, being a size zero probably won't fix matters either.

Philippians 4:12&13 says: "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through Him who gives me strength."

If we truly live and believe these words, contentment is bound to follow. 

And maybe we'll spend less time scrutinizing the "have-nots," and more effort magnifying the "haves" themselves.