Things I previously took for granted

Day by day I'm learning to appreciate things I previously took for granted. It's amazing to have your eyes opened to all of the ways your life is blessed. In the US, it's easy to assume what you have is the norm, and maybe for some reason you're entitled to it. But here, I meet kids who are so excited by things a have always considered "no big deal". I've never considered myself ver materialistic. I don't always need the biggest or the best. But the truth us, on some level I am. As an American, I think I have been so accustommed to having excess that I only occasionally recognize it as luxury. Though there are others who have it worse, "stuff" has had a hold on me. Being here, I feel both liberated by my lack of possesions and at the same time appreciative for them. This is difficult for me to explain, but I think I'm recognizing that all of the "things" in my life I can appreciate without feeling a necessity to always have them. Ultimately, my happiness is not dependent on my physical comfort, but on my closeness with God. Whether I have many things or few, as long as he is there, my life will be blessed. I've always struggled with how we can have things and enjoy them without serving them. This is one of those things we Christians talk about a lot, serving God instead of money, but I feel like I finally get it. It is in the recognition of what one has and what one needs. I have much, but I need little.