Reflection: Content

I'm not someone who goes to church.  I'm not sure where I fit in the realm of religion.  However, every once in a while, we poke our heads in at the Laird Mennonite Church.  The kids like to sing in the choir and participate in the plays, and in my opinion, it's probably one of the best places for them to spend some extracurricular time.  Today was a church day for our whole family.

I'm usually preoccupied with the little kids and, admittedly, don't actively listen to what's being taught.  Today was different.  Graysen sat quietly and when he got tired, I nursed him and he slept peacefully in my arms.  Eloic sat quietly beside Reno and played with his action figures.  Aurora and Denali sat at the front for the children's feature after doing an adorable choir performance.  Karen started off talking about clothes and being picky about what you wear.  It caught my attention.  I was going to listen carefully so that when we went home we could talk to Aurora about clothes and picking them out and exactly how long that should take her in the morning.  Anyone that knows Aurora, knows this is a bone of contention in the morning.  BUT the children's feature took a different turn than I thought - one that talked about what we wear being love, gentleness, forgiveness, etc.  Still I listened intently, hoping to find something to stick in my back pocket for later.

Following children's feature, the discussion turned to money, possessions, and worry.  About how we should not let ourselves be tied to our belongings, not let ourselves be defined by what we own... not let what we wear be a matter of the physical sense rather than the spiritual.  We should be content with what we have rather than fixating on what we won't.  There will always be something we want that we don't have.  Money  and physical belongings will not fill a void - only create a new one or displace it.  I thought very deeply about this.  This sermon was meant for me.  I was no longer listening for a lesson tool to use with Aurora - I was listening for myself.

I've been really struggling lately.  It started with doing my Christmas shopping online.  I liked it so much that I've been doing it since.  Really, what is better than finding a smoking deal on something with free shipping??  What's better than picking up the mail and finding that you have some goodies waiting for you? 

What's better is being content enough with your life that you don't need to order the stuff in the first place. 

I have a great life, with friends and family and everything I/we need.  I am content - are you?