Contentment

A word we hear all the time, but do we think about it & what it means?

I've been told my entire life I should be content with what God has given me or where he has put me in my life. And I was, or at least I thought I was. But, I like everyone else go through stages in my life.

I will not forget one night when I was coming home from a midweek market and at the end of what had been a bad day earlier...Maybe I had argued with my mom, maybe one of my sisters had taken an article of clothing, or wonders of wonders, maybe the fact that I had to many siblings in my bed caused me to have a bad night sleep. Honestly it doesn't matter why the reason, but I was in a foul mood & feeling sorry for myself.

As I was speeding down the freeway listening to Trace Adkins' “Just Fishing” on the local country station. I was grumbling to myself “I really wish my dad would take me fishing, She has no idea what she has there!”. After about two minutes of that self centered thinking while listening to the Tracy sing about not missing moments in his daughters life. The song ended, an add came on, & I changed the channel...To my ever faithful baseball game.

And then it hit me...I was not being content with my life and what God had given me!

Here I was thinking about myself and how I'd like to go fishing and my dad would never take me. Only to forget about the things he had done for me.

I forgot about all those evenings he spent watching baseball games with me. The times he stayed home from a night out with mom (or even the night he came home from a date with mom) to watch a special moment in baseball with me (whether it was that big or not).

I failed to take into account all the money he had spent getting me tickets, even though he knew the Astros were going to lose that night.

I neglected to bring to mind all those hours he spent trying to make me feel better as I shed many tears over the Astros & Red Sox shortened season.

There I sat thinking about my dad not taking me fishing (something that I haven't done in ages & can live without) and I was failing to be content in the dad that I had, the dad that had indulged my passion (or one of them) for years. I failed in being content with my dad...A dad who has done nothing but be the best dad he could be.

That caused me to think. If I wasn't content in that, what else was I not content in? While there are many things that I am or was not content in I pray & work daily to remedy them. It was a hard lesson to learn in the dark on a road by myself. But it was a lesson learned, that hopefully one day will show in my life. That one day the years my mom & dad who have worked tirelessly to show & help me be able to live a content life will come to pass.

While I know this is something my parents have spent years trying to get across to me (Because I was not content with some aspects of my life...Such as lack of fishing with my dad). Maybe this year, this month, this week, this day will be the time when I can remedy that. And be a witness for the Lord & make my parents proud of the daughter they have raised.

With God's help only can that happen. And in the future hopefully I will listen to a song, see a moment, think a thought that will not lead to me being discount in my life, but that will lead to me counting my blessings and thanking the Lord for all that I have been given.