This picture is from a "compassion" magazine. It has been photocopied and taped to a piece of construction paper with the scripture above reading "do all things without complaining" and that scripture comes from Philippians 2:14. This picture is of some children and mothers walking along a dirt road, carrying jugs of water. Some of the children are not wearing shoes. And look at the child on the far left; the one carrying the white jug. He cant be much older than my daughter, who is three years old.

This was used in a lesson that I taught to my Sunday school class of fourth graders. That was about two and a half years ago. The lesson was more or less about being thankful for the lives that they lived, and to show them how some children around the world lived. I had each student take a photocopy and tape it to a colorful piece of construction paper with the instruction to hang it where they would see it everyday. I wanted my precious little students to remember to not take their life for granted. I, too, made myself a copy to be hung in my laundry room, which was where I endured my least favorite chore. Two houses later, it still hangs in my laundry room....only when I made this, I had a "normal" laundry room. A nice space that was temperature controlled, with some cabinets overhead for storage, and nice tile floors. These days my laundry room is a space separate from the house, very cold in the winter~sometimes the water lines freeze and it is unusable, no cabinets, and no dryer. Only a funky washer that, at times overflows if I don't keep my eye on it, and plywood floors.
Notice this scripture does not say: "Do all things without complaining, unless its really bad, then you can complain, after all you deserve to have a decent laundry room (or fill in your own blank)"

No...It says "do all things without complaining and disputing" Philippians 2:14

Sometimes its not easy to do things without complaining...but God continually works on my heart. His grace is sufficient for me. And how dare I complain about the blessings I have been given....How dare I complain about this when people are living like the ones in this photo....

So I have learned to be content....and perhaps one day I will again be blessed with an ideal laundry room....but i don't need that to be happy. And if i live the rest of my life this way~ I will thank God for the clothes that need to be washed...for the day that it takes me to wash and dry at the laundromat....for the child I have to clothe....and for the husband that pays this water bill!

Yes I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content....I know how to be abased and I know how to abound.....I can do ALL things through CHRIST who strengthens me.