How to Be Content

Do you ever wonder how you can be content when there are always things you need or things you wish were different?
I know I should pray about all these things and I do. But in doing so, I have wondered, how can I be happy and content when there are still needs and things that are not how I like?
The answer came to me.
"…be content with such things as ye have:…" Hebrews 13:5
I need to pray about what I don't have, but I can be content by focusing on and being thankful for what I do have.
I have many, many things. Not only 'things' but relationships, health, and spiritual blessings.
It is so easy to get discontented. We compare what we have to what others have. When we go shopping, we see a million things that we never knew we needed! We may wish we had other talents or personalities.
It's so easy to focus on what we don't have.
Instead we must think about what we do have.
What do you have today?
A home? A husband? Children? A family? Friends? Food? Furniture? Clothes? Health? Sight? Hearing? Energy? Sleep? Love? Church family? A relationship with God? Electricity? Running water? Hot water? Appliances?  
These are just a few on my list. I might not always have all of these things in the future. But I can always be thankful for the things I do have right now.
When we start to feel discontented for whatever reason, we have a choice. We can continue focusing on being discontented or we can focus on what we do have, be content and pray about what we don't have. If my husband upsets me in some way, I can focus on it and stay upset, or I can choose to start counting all the many things about him that I love and all the things he does that I am so thankful for. The choice is mine. I can choose to be thankful for the children I do have, and not be focused on what I have lost. 
The question should really be, "With all that I have, how can I be discontented?"
This is also a good principle to teach our children.
Pray for what you don't have and be content with what you do have.