What STATE are you in?

Checked out a book at the library yesterday for the boys called, THE SCRAMBLED STATES OF AMERICA. It’s a story about the 50 states and how NEBRASKA is upset because he is in the middle and never gets to go anywhere or see anything else and is tired of all the other states around him and the scenery never changing. He calls up his friend, Kansas (who is incredibly kind) and says, “I enjoy having you as a neighbor, BUT, I’m wanting a change, I really am tired of this area!” So, the two of them decide to call all the other states and they plan a party. At this party Virginia and Idaho get up on the stage and announce that they have decided they are going to switch places and wondered if everyone else wanted to do the same so they could get away from where they were at in life. They all agreed this was the greatest idea ever, so they went home to pack their bags and they began their travels to their new destinations. Things were going great the first day or two and then Florida began getting extremely cold up in Minnesota and Minnesota had gotten sunburnt down in Florida and Alabama, New York and Indiana (all whom had taken California’s place) were getting annoyed by the rumbling that kept them up all night. Arizona was getting frustrated with her South Carolina location because the waves kept messing up her hair and Alaska was in pain from Oklahoma’s handle jabbing into his left side and Michigan’s thumb tickling his right. Nebraska, who was the initiator of all of this was out in the ocean in Hawaii’s spot and was singing the blues about being homesick and lonely and seasick. Everyone was very uncontent except for Nevada and Mississippi who had fallen in love (“Do you want to become MRS.issippi?)
Phone calls were made soon after and it was pretty unanimous that they wanted their places back, so they jumped in their cars, taxis, buses, planes and bikes and trekked back to their homes. Once there they spent the evenings sharing their tales with their friends/states around them and went to bed with a new found contentment for where they were at. In Philippians 4:11 it says, “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever STATE I am, therewith to be content.”
How often do we fuss and complain about where we are at in life and where God has put us. We dislike our job, the people around us, our neighbors are too loud, the kids are driving us nuts, etc…If these things that we were frustrated with were suddenly not there anymore would it truly make us happier or would we in turn find something new to complain about? God has called each and every one of us to the specific places we are at for a divine purpose and instead of spending time being upset about it, we ought to be praying and asking God for a new joy for what we have and where we are at and asking Him to show us what He wants us to do right here, right now. I am always telling the boys to be thankful for what they have instead of wanting more. We often get that very thing that we thought would make us so perfectly happy and content and then it is in a pile, a closet or on a shelf days later not being used or touched and we soon are looking for something else new instead. I believe we should take Nevada and Mississippi’s attitudes and make the best of the situations and things we have and find a way to be happy with whom we come in contact with and what we are given. When we are feeling we need to run away from things or place new things in our lives just to be happy, we need to remember that ONLY GOD can fill that gap, and material items will all become dust and rubbish one day, but our actions, thoughts, ways we reach out to others, prayers of thankfulness and what we do with what God is teaching us day to day will be taken with us for eternity! I intend on being in a GOD STATE of mind/heart, no matter where I get placed on the map!!