The other day, I stopped by a local coffee place to get a cup of coffee. Another man and I both stood at the counter and asked for a regular coffee. The girl poured my cup, then poured his. He looked at my cup and immediatley started shouting at the girl that I had gotten more coffee than he had. I looked and did not really notice any difference. However, he became very upset that somehow the girl had given me more coffee than him. So, I simply looked at him and said, "here you go," and switched my cup with his. He didn't know what to say.
As I walked out of the store, I thought, "when is enough, enough?" We live in the richest country in the world. Most of us live in decent homes, have working heat/cooling/electricity/phones. Few of us are starving.We have plenty to eat, and enjoy great security. We drive cars that work, and have decent clothes to wear.We have the best medical care system in the world. Yet, we constantly seem dissatisfied. We complain about EVERYTHING. We want a bigger house, a newer car, more food and drink, different clothes, more free entertainment, and the list goes on and on and..... More than 80% - 80% - of the people of this world have less of EVERY THING than you and I have. Yet, when I travel to other countries like Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, I meet people who are MORE GRATEFUL than we ever are. They are so thankful for the little they have while we complain despite the great amount we possess.
The other day, I went to visit a lady in a nursing home. Because of her condition, she has not been able to take anything by mouth. She receives all her feeding from a feeding tube attached to her stomach. She does not complain. She is grateful for the care she has received. I asked her, "not eating or drinking, what do you miss?" She looked at me and simply said, "oh, I would love to taste just a sip of cold water." Her condition has taught her to value what is really important in life. She didn't want a fancy meal or expensive drink. Just "a sip of cold water." Are we grateful when we turn on the faucet in our homes and get a drink of clean, cold water? In the morning, do we ever stop to thank God for a hot shower? The list can go on and on. How truly thankful are we for ALL that we have? How often do I take time to thank people who are so good to me, who share so much with me? Or, am I someone who always complains, is always dissatisfied because he/she feels that I don't have "enough." So my question is, "when is enough...enough?"