“If I Knew That, I Would Have Gotten the Steak”

You ever been out to eat, staring at the menu, doing math in your head? You are thinking, “How much money do I have? Can I afford the thing I really want?” So you play it safe. You order the cheaper thing. You enjoy your meal and the company.

Then the check comes, and your friend says, “I got this.”

If you are like me, your first thought might be, “If I knew that, I would have gotten the steak.”

That little moment exposes something in us. We are wired to always want just a little more. A little more money. A little nicer meal. A little newer phone. A little better situation. That desire can quietly pull us away from gratitude.

Paul reminds us in 1 Timothy 6 that we brought nothing into this world and we are not taking anything out. If we have food and clothing, we are already ahead of the game. Contentment is not pretending you do not have real needs. It is choosing to rest in the God who promises to meet those needs.

The big idea from this week’s message was simple. Gratitude grows in our hearts when we learn to rest in Christ rather than in our circumstances.

Life will always give us reasons to want more. Christ gives us reasons to be thankful right now.

Try this:
Next time you catch yourself thinking, “If only I had more,” stop and thank God for three specific things you already have. See how it begins to shift your heart.