“If we do not feel grateful for what we already have, what makes us think we’d be happy with more?” ~Unknown
I love this saying because it's the opposite of what I used to believe.
Never was I content with what I had at the moment. I always needed more. More money. More freedom. More stuff.
If I just had this or that material thing my life would be okay.
From the time I was in my late teens I was never content with what I had. I thought that better houses, cars, clothes and trips would validate me. But when I started getting those things I realized I was way off base. Even though I had a glut of luxury things, there was something missing.
And what was missing was an inner core. Something beyond my materialistic fantasies. I had mistakenly thought that money and the things it bought would make me okay. And I pursued them relentlessly. I was insatiable. I liked money and the seeming power that it brought me.
Then one day it all came crashing down in a messy heap of legal papers when the government showed up with warrants and indictments for me and eight associates..
And you know the rest of the story. A series of court battles. Money for lawyers. And finally a plea agreement and time behind bars. I had sacrificed everything, including my freedom, in pursuit of stuff that disappeared when I was taken into custody.
Now, years later, I'm living the American dream. I have everything a man could want. A lovely wife. A loving circle of people around me. A dream job that allows us to help others. The whole package.
And it all began 25 years ago. with me being grateful for the simple fact that I was sober. Since that time God has richly blessed me and those I love.
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