thoughts on being content

I came across this verse this morning when I was reading my Bible and it really made me think:

"You're blessed when you're content with just who you are - no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought." (Matthew 5:5, The Message)

There are very few days that go by where I don't think something along the lines of, "I wish I could do this, or buy this, or look like this, or..." 
Often I think of the times when I felt completely content: on mission trips to Canada and New Orleans, times when I am leading or led in worship, when I was in China volunteering at a foster home. The one thing that all of those have in common is that I was/am apart of something bigger, and better, than myself. I was dedicating my energy to serving others and putting their needs in front of my own. I didn't have time to think about trivial material things, or how "my life would just be complete if I had (fill in the blank). The fleeting moments of happiness I get out of something I've bought pale in comparison to the joy I get from the time spent seeing God move in people through music, or holding a precious sleeping baby who has been through more trauma than I have in my lifetime, or building a house for someone who has been living in a tent since Hurricane Katrina.
But then again, I think, "Is it wrong to want some material things?" I spend $20 on an adorable shirt and then see the Made In China label and think of the beautiful and hardworking people I met in China and wonder, "Is it worth it?"
I guess it all comes back to moderation and balance. I am always so inspired by people who seem to have come somewhere close to that balance and aren't driven and controlled by their "stuff". Someday I hope to get to that place too, but I guess its all about the journey.

Phew this is a long post!