Look at those who are beneath you and do not look at those who are above you, for it is more suitable that you should not consider as less the blessing of Allah

"Look at those who are beneath you and do not look at those who are above you, for it is more suitable that you should not consider as less the blessing of Allah." 

Book 37, Hadith 43,Vol. 5, Book 37, Hadith 4142

Whenever we go through any difficulty and hardship we must bear is that Allah SWT is in absolute control. And Allah would never leave us alone with no solutions and a path to deal with this difficulty. It is upon us to search for the answers for our problems through the Quran. Whatever we own belongs to Allah SWT.

We are taught by Allah SWT that when we are going through trials , the first thing we must do is thank Allah. Allah asks us to increase in goodness by thanking Allah. We might think especially during a financial difficulty that how am I going to get out of this debt or how will I finish this mess , I dont know where I will provide my family from or how I am going to feed myself etc, I have no idea how I am going to survive and my health is deteriorating and I have to thank Allah? Yes. Because Allah says if we are going to be thankful and grateful even during your problems then Allah will increase us in goodness. 

The way Allah taught us to show gratitude is by looking at those who have lost more than us and who are below us. Hundreds of thousands of people have lost so much around the world. We might have only a few pot holes where rain fills up and make puddles outside our home whereas others have lost their entire homes and roads to natural disasters. We need to spend time and think about what is happening around us. Cities like Aleppo in Syria have been completely destroyed and the people of that land are left with no homes and just hoping to be refugees to cross oceans and survive in another land safely. There are problems all over the world where there are bombs raining left right and center. We can never make sense of our problems. When we start thinking that our lifestyle has been reduced due to financial struggles and we cannot adjust or we complain about it then we must realise we have been priveleged in many other ways. 

In order to help ourselves we have to learn to downgrade our lifestyle. Especially when we do not have financial struggles. We must not waste resources even if we have it. We dont need to always live on a high level. Downgrading our lifestyles does not harm us in anyway. We will be shocked at how much we can save if we learn to not waste. There are people who are happy just eating 1 meal a day or having just 5 pairs of dress in their wardrobe. How can we complain when we are blessed and fortunate the way we are. We need to listen to the news and see those who were in riches and are now in rags. Some people who took boats to other countries as refugees and dont even know where the rest of the other family members are. 

Seeking Allah's forgiveness helps us realise that what we are going through is not a punishment but Allah's mercy. Whatever is our test , Allah will turn it into blessings. Introspect within yourself. We must keep asking where we are spending our money and if we can give hisaab (account) for all our expenses. Dont ask "why me". We were send on this earth for the only purpose of worship and test. We can pass this divine exam only if we prepare and implement our answers in our life.