Pity parties are so unbecoming

This morning, alone in my warm house, while my sweet husband was working and my precious healthy children were attending school, I caught myself having a personal little pity party.  I specialize in these.  I'm good at them.  I won't be too transparent on this one.  It's complicated what brought it on, and no one would probably comprehend the inner workings of my brain anyway.  But to sum it up, I was doing doing a chore that I consider unpleasant and meanwhile thinking of the things I wanted to be doing but couldn't because our money tree is not blooming properly.  I was feeling sorry for poor, pitiful me.  After all, I'm sure I'm the only one in the world in this situation today (funny, huh?)! 

THEN.....that still small voice.  "You are blessed beyond measure!  Most people in the world don't have to perform the chores you do, that's correct, but that's because they don't live in such luxury."  Then reality finally starting kicking in.  How many people in this world would love to have enough clothing, water, electricity to do laundry like I do?  I shift through my closet daily spouting that I have nothing to wear, mostly because I'm "over nourished."  I'm reworking my budget because I have to pay a speeding ticket that I got while driving my dinged up, making weird noises, mini-van - but I didn't have to walk my kids to school.

Here's a few stats I found. 

At least 80% of humanity lives on less than $10 a day.

According to UNICEF, 22,000 children die each day due to poverty.

Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names.

Almost two in three people lacking access to clean water survive on less than $2 a day, with one in three living on less than $1 a day.

In 1998, $17 billion was spent on pet food in the US and Europe, while 1 million of the 2.2 billion children in the world are in poverty

So yes, I do scrub my own toilets.  My kids haven't been to Disney World.  I've never been on a cruise.  I don't shop at Neiman Marcus.  I'm sure I'd be thinner if I had a chef and a personal trainer.  Am I deprived?  I only think so when I'm being ridiculous.  Now, I know no one else reading this blog has ever had such horrible pity party pouts.  But I wanted to admit one of my biggest weaknesses mainly so the next time I give in to such stupidity, I will have this to come back and read.  In the words of Nicole Nordeman, "We are blessed beyond what we could ever dream, in abundance or in need."  Gratitude.  That's the cure.  Thank you God for salvation in you, my wonderful husband of 23 years, my precious healthy girls, my family and friends, my warm house, and on and on and on....