By Molly Simpson

Christmas is easily a Christian child’s favorite time of year. Now, with five children of my own, the pressure to fulfill every Christmas wish was suffocating. My husband was unemployed, and the bill collectors took no notice of the season or our circumstances. We had never been extravagant or overly generous in our gift-giving, but this year, even coal in stockings was starting to feel out of reach.

I called my sister—the one who seemed to have the Midas Touch—hoping for some comfort and cheer. I cried on her shoulder for a while, telling her all my worries. She listened patiently, and when I had finished, she asked a few piercing questions.
"Do you know where you will sleep tonight?"
What kind of question was that? Still wondering where she was going with this, I answered, "Yes."

She asked another: "Do you know where your next meal will come from?"
Growing a little indignant, I responded, "Of course!"

Then came her final question: "Do you own more than one pair of shoes?"
She knew I did.

She gently informed me that I was wealthier than ninety-eight percent of the Earth’s population. Whoa. In one second flat, my circumstances flipped from bleak to blessed.

For those of us living in abundance, feelings of lack are surprisingly common. With the constant flood of pseudo-success on social media, it’s easy to feel slighted—unless we deliberately keep the larger picture in perspective. I’m no eye specialist, but it seems many of us could use a new pair of perspectacles.

Around the world today, many societies still struggle to meet basic needs. No matter where you look, you’ll find people living in heartbreakingly difficult conditions.

Here in our first-world culture, it’s easy to forget about them when we’re surrounded by abundance. But even our society of wealth has roots in hardship and poverty. When we’re feeling weighed down by what we don't have, all we need to do is look back a few generations—to the Great Depression, or even further back to the pioneer migration. So many stories of extreme lack, ignorance, illness, and even death.

A little reflection is all it takes to realize: compared to where we came from, we are among the wealthy, healthy, and wise.

_________________

•   To discover how to start choosing more effectively now, read The Jackrabbit Factor (FREE!)  
•   If you want more step-by-step guidance on creating the life you really want, join me in the Mindset Mastery program.
•   If you want my help overcoming that giant obstacle right in front of you, learn more and sign up for Genius Bootcamp.