I was out with some friends recently and found myself complaining about the fact that I travel a lot for my job. I told them how, in the month of August, I spent about 7 days in my own bed and the rest in hotel rooms. I remember when I used to wish I had a job that involved travelling, and how the idea of it seemed so amazing, and now that I had the opportunity to travel, I was criticising the very thing that had once been a deep desire.
In all honesty, I absolutely LOVE my job, and it has stretched me and grown me in ways I am grateful for. I’ve visited towns and cities that I wouldn’t have gone to and I also get to stay in great hotels (perks of the job).
Why then was I suddenly complaining about it? I realised that I had become too familiar with my job, my blessing, and it got me thinking about the things we say and how they can positively build up or negatively tear down.

Things we say can positively build up or negatively tear down

By complaining about the fact that I was travelling so much, made me not look forward to being away. It dawned on me that this opportunity wasn’t going to be for a lifetime. Being away has given me the opportunity to have time to write in the evenings after work without distractions and as a result I’m finding I am able to be more creative. Sometimes you have to take yourself out of your familiar surroundings in order to be refreshed and inspired: and that’s what travelling to different cities has done for me.
We have to be careful to not let familiarity breed contempt because we could lose the very thing that was once something we prayed for, wished for, hoped for. This can be in any area of our lives. Relationships? Work? Family? Friendships?
We have to remember that life has its seasons, and each season prepares us for the next. Let’s recognise the season we are in, and what it requires, and rather than complain about the sacrifices, let’s be grateful for answered prayers and dreams and learn to have the right balance in order to be effective.
It’s not wrong to believe for things, to hope and to pray for certain circumstances to change. There are certain things I am praying for in my own life, but I am also learning to be thankful and not take for granted what I have been blessed with.
Lastly, a friend once challenged me with this: ‘Sips, I hope you never end up being one of those people that prays for something, and when they get it, they are not enjoying that blessing because they are so focused on something else that they don’t have yet, and, as a result, overlooking the blessing that was once the hope’.
This statement knocked me for six and has since helped me keep myself in check and remain thankful for what I hoped for – which is what I am living in now – and the importance of not taking it for granted. It has changed the way I look at life. I have my days when I am doing okay at this, and other days when I am being ungrateful, but I am glad to constantly be reminded to be thankful.

Have a great week

Sipho xoxo

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