Content or contempt?

1 Timothy 6

"But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content." (v8)

It was tempting to write only about verse 9 and the dangers of riches, but that would have been to skip the dangers of want. Notice shelter is not in the list. I'm not saying we should all be homeless, but even things we consider absolute necessities really aren't (something about foxes and holes comes to mind here). Could I see God's provision in only food and clothing? Can I see God in Kenya or the shores of Lake Atitlan in Guatemala or the coast of the Dominican Republic? I'm stung particularly because some of the most seemingly contented people I have ever met live in one of those three places. I say seemingly contented because I only experienced brief flashes of time with them. This past week in conversation, I said to someone that there appears to be an inverse relationship between what we have and gratitude. It's odd. If someone with nearly nothing is grateful for food and clothing, why can't I be? Rather, why won't I be?