Monday, June 1, 2015

Contentment

June 2, 2015

It must be boring to be rich. Linda and I had a day that opened up due to some schedule cancellations and a few birthday gifts that needed to be bought, so we headed to Elicotteville for a bit of shopping. Although we don't get around that neck of the woods often, it has always seemed a quaint little village with nice shops and restaurants. Apparently, this is the wrong time of year to visit this place that is home to the Holiday Valley ski resort. There were only a couple other people on the sidewalks on this cool, drizzly day.

No matter. We bravely marched into the first shop. That's when we realized we were out of our league. The stores were mostly upscale knick-knacks, with a few clothes and jewelry thrown in for good measure. When you see a pair of agate earrings tagged for $260, you know what kind of social strata you're in. Suffice it to say, we have upscale tastes with a Walmart budget. Actually, most of the decorative stuff seemed a bit tacky and way over priced. In one shop there was a blown glass...well, I don't know what it was. It was this pretty blob of blown glass, swirling with colors and a price tag of $1200. I commented on how pretty it was, and of my learning years ago that I can enjoy a lot of pretty stuff that I don't have to own. I am content seeing it in the store and walking right on by.

Tonight in men's group, we talked about contentment. St. Paul in Philippians 4, said that he had learned the secret of being content whether he had plenty or if he was in want. I noted that he said he learned that. For most of us, it doesn't come naturally, and it is only through the cycles of plenty and deprivation that we have the opportunity to learn contentment. Some, who only know the ease of wealth, find that they are never content with what they have. John Rockefeller was once asked, given all his wealth, how much was enough. "Just a little more," was his answer. Those who are always in deprivation may find contentment hard, simply because hunger is never content.

I am grateful that we have known times of at least minor deprivation, when we weren't sure how we were going to make it. I'm grateful also for those times when we have enough and to spare. I don't need any more stuff, and could probably do with a lot less than I have. Linda would be more than happy to oblige on that last statement, but I have to draw the line somewhere. But it is good to go to a store and come home empty handed because there was nothing we saw that we needed. I wonder what it would be like to be so rich there was nothing you could ever need, but I don't really want to know. I know one thing...I am wealthy with family, friends, and my faith in Christ, and with that, I am content.

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