Sometimes people will ask why we like living in Nicaragua (or IF we like living in Nicaragua).☺ While there are many reasons (great beaches, good friends, no sleet or hail or really bad weather at all, friendly people, beautiful scenery, etc.), there’s one reason that I have been coming back to lately, especially in this Christmas season. In Nicaragua I am reminded daily how wonderful my life really is. I have a loving family, a home to rest in, food to eat every day, health care when I need it, peaceful nights without fear of violence, access to a quality education for my children, a passport to travel, and all my basic needs are met.
There are days when I am not content with what God has given me. I want a new car, a different house, or an item I can’t find in the grocery store. I wish Amazon.com would deliver to Nicaragua. But I am thankful that God does not leave me in my sin—that sin of discontentment and materialism. In His grace He reminds me of all I have asked for and all the ways He has answered me. Then I can come to Him in gratitude rather than discontentment.
Rather than being frustrated with a sometimes unreliable vehicle, I can be thankful that we have one at all, and that our whole family doesn’t pile onto a motorcycle to go out together, or depend on a crowded bus. If I lived elsewhere, I’m afraid that I would forget how amazing it is even to own a car (or two)! I think at times that it’s actually easier to live in Nicaragua. I feel like living in Nicaragua has been God’s gift of contentment to me, and although I still can struggle with “the grass is always greener”, living here helps me realize that the grass is REALLY green right where I’m standing. I hope that this Christmas season you can take the time to be thankful for all God has given you, and maybe to bless someone who could use encouragement at this time.
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