The "Now That I Can't Have It" Syndrome

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"A stingy man hastens after wealth and does not know that poverty will come upon him."

Proverbs 28:22, ESV

Once upon a time, my floors were clean.

Then I got a Labrador.

As the saying about Labradors goes, "chew until 2, shed until dead." Fortunately, Squirrel was never much of a chewer, but sometimes I do wonder how the boy isn't bald from all the fur I sweep off the floor. But hey...shed happens.

Squirrel's favorite spot in my house, outside of the deck, is the bedroom. It has his favorite bed, and he loves sleeping in a sunbeam. He was sleeping peacefully up there the other afternoon when I decided to attack the fur-tumbleweeds taking over my living room. Since he can be inquisitive when I start making noise, I shut the bedroom door.

No biggie, right? I mean, he was already up there sleeping by his own choice. He most likely wouldn't have come down anyway, I simply wanted to make sure he stayed off the floors until they were dry.

That boy pitched a fit like you wouldn't believe, howling and barking until I was afraid it was going to annoy the neighbors. I don't speak dog but quite frankly didn't need to in order to understand the, "let me out of here, you terrible human!"

Good grief. You didn't even WANT to come downstairs. It was simply because you now couldn't, that you got upset.

I don't think of myself as a particularly jealous type of person; I make an effort to be content with what God has given me.

But there are times. Like when a friend announces a promotion. Or maybe they bought a new car. Or got engaged. Or...

...you get the idea.

I could be having a great day, but then someone mentions they achieved/acquired something I would also love to have, and then I spiral down. Nothing changed in my life before or after the announcement, other than the acknowledgment that they have something that would be nice to have.

As Proverbs 28:22 says, there is a type of poverty that comes from chasing wealth. It may not be a material poverty, but there certainly is a poverty of contentment, joy, and thankfulness. I'm not quite ready to have my spiritual bank account emptied of such things. I've known successful people who are some of the most miserable, broken folks you have ever met. Likewise, I know folks living paycheck to paycheck who inspire me with their boundless joy.

God may have shut, or even, in some cases, locked the door to some rooms I'd like to enter. But I think it will go better for me if I skip the howling and simply remain content in my sunbeam.