Satisfied

"But godliness with contentment is great gain..."  I Timothy 6:6

Photo:  charlemagne pixabay

Good morning, dear friends,

Earlier this week we enjoyed unseasonably warm weather.  It felt almost like summer for us, instead of spring!  How inviting it was to be outside in the bright sunshine, watching the world shake off winter's sleep, and enjoy all the sights and smells of a glorious spring day.

I must confess to feeling a little light-heartened and excited as I walked to school to pick up our kids at the end of the day.  Many of my neighbors were out and about, walking as I was to get their children as well.

"Isn't the weather beautiful?" I asked one lady that I had talked to before in our village.

"It is nice, but it won't last.  They are already predicting bad weather for the end of the week."

I was a bit surprised by her pessimism, but I was undaunted.  I continued on my walk, and commented to several other people in the same way.

The second person that answered me, answered like the first.  I didn't pay much attention until I was reminded by FOUR separate people on the same walk, that bad weather was coming, and not to get too attached to the warm sun.

Once, I might not notice, or chalk it up to subdued realism. After all, we get a LOT of rain in our area.  But after several of my greetings were rebuffed in the same way, it was almost enough to discourage even my enthusiasm for the pretty weather.  It made me stop and think:

Why is it so hard to be satisfied?

Obviously, sunny weather cannot stay sunny forever.  If it did, people would complain about drought conditions, or forest-fire scares.  I still remember the summer before Timothy was born, and the thousands of people who died in the massive heat wave that claimed our country for several weeks.

But, in all fairness, can I do anything to change the weather?  Absolutely not.  Does not God send the weather, the sunshine and the rain?  Is He only good, when He sends the weather that I want on a given day, and withholds "bad weather," just because it is not convenient for me?  Or is my God bigger than my weather forecast?

Of course He is.  So, sunshine or rain, should I not rejoice in the day that I am given?

One of my favorite verses about contentment in the Bible is quoted at the top of this blog:  "But godliness with contentment is great gain." (I Timothy 6:6)  I understand that Paul in this passage is talking about my physical and material wealth and well-being, but aren't all blessings, whether physical or monetary, gifts from my Heavenly Father's hand?  Learning to trust in my God, who is good and loving all the time, should allow me to find peace in my heart, enough to be content with my present circumstances.

Understanding that God's goodness is always prevalent, in sunshine or in rain, should help me to appreciate whatever weather the Lord sends my way today.

Don't get me wrong--for special preaching meetings on Thursday, I am praying for sunshine, if nothing else to make things run more smoothly for those arriving, and those of us taking care of wiggly children all day long.
At the same time, if the Lord sees fit to send us "showers of blessings," I hope I will not be one to complain.

I will hope that I will be satisfied, whatever my loving God has in store for me...