contentment

“Be content with what you have, rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.”

~Lao Tzu

I am caught between two worlds. I’ve had the privilege of traveling overseas. I’ve been to, at least, 18 countries. The majority of my travel has not been for pleasure but for missions so I’ve seen some of the poorest areas in the world. People lack clean water and adequate food and have little to no medical attention. They live in small, cramped quarters; places where cardboard and corrugated metal make a ‘room’ for their families.


I've seen it and it impacts me. I always say that I will simplify when I get home, changing my way of living. Over the years, I have made changes. I’ve made decisions to live with less. But, I am still a product of my culture. It doesn’t seem to take long before I am sucked back into ‘wanting more’. Dissatisfaction settles in and I am filled with discontentment.


I am still working through this dilemma. I am glad that my eyes are open and that I live in the tension between these two ‘realities. I can only pray that God will continue to speak to me about how He wants me to use what He has given me and how I can share it with others. I thank Him for the way He gently reminds me that I am being a ‘brat’, wanting what I want when most of the world doesn’t even have what they need.


God….never let me forget what I’ve seen, what I’ve experienced and keep my heart tender towards the world. Help me to be content with what I have, to rejoice in the way things are.


Grace and peace,
Deb