Is it possible to be satisfied with what we have? According to the ads on media, we all need a newer car, a bigger house, a faster computer and of course, no one wants to live with that gray, thinning hair.
Can’t we just get out of our own way and acknowledge that sometimes, enough really is enough. Contentment is possible. The Apostle Paul had known everything from need to plenty and went on to say, “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation.” What was that secret? Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” At the core of our contentment is the knowledge of who we are in Christ.
This is why we focus on a relationship with Jesus with our clients at our shelters. Yes, things matter, but not nearly as much as knowing the one who provides them. We want every person who enters our doors to have a job, plenty of money, a house, a car and all the things essential for life. But when those things become the focus, rather than Christ, we tend to fall into the trap of needing, “Just a little bit more.”
I ran across this poem written by Jason Lehman, who was fourteen at the time of its writing.
Present Tense
It was spring, But it was summer I wanted, The warm days, And the great outdoors.
It was summer, But it was fall I wanted, The colorful leaves, And the cool, dry air.
It was fall, But it was winter I wanted, The beautiful snow, And the joy of the holiday season.
It was winter, But it was spring I wanted, The warmth, And the blossoming of nature.
I was a child, But it was adulthood I wanted, The freedom, And the respect.
I was 20, But it was 30 I wanted, To be mature, And sophisticated.
I was middle-aged, But it was 20 I wanted, The youth, And the free spirit.
I was retired, But it was middle age I wanted, The presence of mind, without limitations.
My life was over. But I never got what I wanted.
Life is never what we expect when what we expect is a little bit more. But life can be abundant when we believe that Jesus is enough.
