If only......

Tonight culminates our 4th day in Utah. Justin and I both are amazed at the beauutiful mountains that surround us and the snow! We haven't seen snow like this in a long time! This morning however, I found myself trapped in the world of "if only", a world that can be very depressing if it is not nipped in the bud immediately. It is so funny how if only works, for instance, before we had a plan to come to Utah I found myself thinking " If only we had a plan". Then, when we started packing my "if only" became " If only I can EVER finish packing" which quickly turned into "If only we were there already". This morning I found myself caught in that world again thinking if only we were already settled in, but as I was meditating I realized the error of my thoughts. God brought a couple of key verses to my mind including Thes 5:18 "In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you". God wants us to be content in every circumstance we face from sickness to daily chores such a laundry. He has a specific purpose for every joy and trial we face that can either grow us toward Him or away from Him. We can choose to live a "if only" life, or we can choose to count our blessing, and name them one by one. It is amazing what thankfulness can do to the world of "if only"!