Contentment
“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:11-13). These words were written by a man who further described his hardships in 2 Corinthians 11:23-29. Paul had been beaten, flogged, stoned, ship wrecked, and left for dead. At times, he was hungry, cold and naked, all for the sake of telling others about Jesus Christ. Yet, Paul was content.
Mattie J.T. Stepanek, a young man born with a rare form of muscular dystrophy described contentment in a poem from his book, Reflections of a Peacemaker: A Portrait Through Heartsongs. He composed this poem when he was almost eleven years old.
Grasp of Truth
If you have
Enough breath
To complain
About anything,
You have more than
Enough reason
To give thanks
About something.
Mattie had plenty of reasons to complain. Mattie used a wheelchair because of his disease. He was not able to play like most children his age. He spent months at a time in the hospital, endured pain, breathed with a tracheotomy, and lived connected to various tubes. He suffered the death of his two brothers and a sister and always knew that he would die at a very young age. Yet, he was content.
Both of these men, one young and the other not so young, had learned the secret of being content. Never complain, and be satisfied with what you have and what you have not, and give thanks. Because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)
Recent Comments