“Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.” (Philippians 4:11 NASB)
Some of you can think back to the days of college where you were put into an environment where you had to fend for yourself when it came to meals. If you did not have a graciously, parent provided, big supplement of money, you could not eat in the school cafeteria every day. Your cabinet looked like you brought all the Ramen Noodles that were available at the dollar store. No attention was paid to expiration dates. You had no cabinets to go to for snacks, so you would grab a coffee cup and go with generic dry cereal as your snack. Somebody is saying, “I’m still doing that today!” I hear you!
Well I didn’t have that on campus, college experience, but I remember times when we ate breakfast for dinners, hot dogs with bake beans and applesauce were the sides, and at times pancakes made of potatoes were the evening meal with whatever syrup you could afford. I remember when “Seconds please,” was not part of the supper vocabulary. Going further than that, I can remember taking the family to a west side park in Illinois to eat government cheese sandwiches; sandwiches with such thick cheese slices that you were still chewing cheese on the long walk home. Thank God we had water, not soda, periodically punch drink when you got home. But you had to drink slowly, no gulping!
Oh I know you have your own stories that pre-date the times when you ate whatever you had to do and times that were predecessors to your four dish meals. Come on be truthful about it. All of us have experiences when our parents were creative with their meals. If you say, “Not mine,” you probably just did not notice it because of your mother’s chef rated, creative cooking skills and her ability to master the colors of the food on your plate; presentation skill at its best. We all learned at some time or the other to be thankful, really sincere and speaking with sincere meaning when we said our go-to pre-meal prayers, “Thank you Lord for the food we are about to receive.”
Last night we had hot dogs, applesauce, and baked beans at my house. It was great and we were thankful. The day before we had hamburgers without buns, cottage cheese with peaches, and some baked beans. Again, it was great! And we were very thankful. The beef stew on a previous day included vegetables from the can, but you could not tell it! The cuisine was served with compassion and obvious consideration for we who consumed the meal. Yet, last night I started to laugh internally and perhaps some of my laughter left my thoughts without permission and came all the way out of my mouth. I was thinking back to those times when food was sparse, servings were switched to “a serving,” and we were not really satisfied or content.
But here is the point, we learned to be content. In our toughest times, speaking of you and me, we learned to be content in times of adversity and times of prosperity. The pandemic has put many people shopping at places where they never shopped, sitting in their cars for hours to get a box of give-away food, and such predicaments as layoffs and furloughs make grocery shopping a challenge. I see the changes in the carts that people fill up at the store. People know how to pinch a penny and stretch a dollar. Yet, most of these people have a smile on their face or at the least, they look at peace with the world. They are able to do this because they have learned to be content; content and thankful. And this is where our own past experiences come in to play. Be thankful that your young ones may be learning to be content right now! It is a good thing because life can throw you curve balls at times and mandate that you apply the saying of “making lemons out of lemonade.” I have said to much, but let us be content today with whatever the Lord blesses us with when it comes to food on our table and even how we overcome some of the other so-called difficulties of life. Be content! Be thankful! Be blessed!
“I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:12 NASB)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King