Contentment

His face wrinkled by the years, his body manipulated by a stroke, yet when he looked up and saw the face of family his eyes twinkled and his countenance erupted with excitement. Raised in the mountains of North Carolina, he learned quickly that life isn't fair but God is good. That is what he lived his life by. He never climbed the corporate ladder or was formally educated. However, he worked every job he had with devotion and tried to love his family the best he could. The "Good Lord" (as he would say) blessed him with a strong, stubborn wife that could handle him and 6 children he loved completely. Before long tragedy struck leaving him and his wife with a daughter who only lived 6 months. Standing beside her grave the grief over takes him and he doesn't know if he will survive the heartache. Life was full of harsh reality that he couldn't escape. So, what did he do to cope? He sang. He sang songs that praised the ONE who gave breath and life to him. He sang not out of blessing but out of poverty. I have heard that he was very different before the stroke and maybe he was but the "Popa" I knew was this man who actually learned how to be content. We have very few people in this world who know contentment. We strive after this and that, we run after our hopes as if to catch the wind. Nothing wrong with a little ambition, hopes, and dreams but sometimes we can't see the forest for the trees. God has so richly blessed our lives that some of the most precious things in this life is so easily overlooked and so quickly dismissed. When was the last time you actually thanked God for the ability to walk? For good health? For healthy children? For the spouse that loves you unconditionally? I get so anxious about things I really have no control over. I miss opportunities just to sit with my daughters and just love on them. To stay in Todd's embrace and know that I am loved. Life speeds up and passes so quickly, I need to learn this contentment lesson soon! Back to my grandfather, He lived in a small, broken down house with a wood stove. His favorite meal was cornbread and buttermilk and he loved visits! When the door opened His face would light up and his arms would fling open and we would run to him. That was his greatest joy! Sitting in his rocking chair he would sing, old songs that spoke of God and His love. Many would say his life didn't amount to much but to a little girl who was watching his life had the greatest impact! Even now as I write this, He's in heaven and His life continues to impact how I live my life. May I learn that contentment is really the only way to have a wonderful life. 1timothy 6:6 "But Godliness with contentment is great gain."