By Melissa Hart
Contentment can be an elusive concept when we are constantly
bombarded with influencers telling us we are missing out if we don’t buy a
product or service.
The highlight reels of a family on a stunning vacation or
the accomplishments of their kids can send us down the path to pity in a big
hurry. Or simple fall decorations on a porch can make us feel like we are
falling short of the expectations the world has seemingly put on us. We can
fall prey to the need to be better, belong, and be happy if we only had a
little bit more.
Yesterday, I was reminded by my two-year-old granddaughter
that I am blessed beyond belief.
As I was preparing her toast for breakfast, she was sitting
on the counter, watching every slab of butter I slathered on the warm, toasted
bread. Suddenly, she said, “Are those your new drawers?”
She was referring to the new drawers I had built for my
kitchen to replace the 50-year-old drawers that had fallen apart after decades
of use. I want a new kitchen. I tell myself I need a new kitchen. But I refuse
to go into debt to get a new kitchen, so…I have a retro farmhouse kitchen with a
smattering of new drawers that were built by the Amish. My excitement when I slid
the drawers into place was palpable. I couldn’t help but share news of the new
drawers with my grandkids, who stand eye-level with them.
Now, six months later, my granddaughter sat on the counter
and mentioned my new drawers again. I responded, “Yes, those are my new drawers,”
to which she said, “I love them.”
Her tone was appreciative, kind, and admiring. It struck a
chord in me. I realized in a split second that God was reminding me of the beauty
and usefulness that I had taken for granted in a short period of time. I was
over the excitement of my new drawers…until Harper said, “I love them.”
Contentment is something I had been missing in the past few
weeks. I had been dwelling on the negative instead of the positive. I had been
thinking about where I was coming up short with my work, and the mom guilt from
things that happened 20 years ago had been dominating my thoughts.
All of the negative rhetoric running through my mind was
clearly from the enemy, and that little exchange reminded me that I needed to
count my blessings today and stop counting my mistakes from decades earlier.
Only God could speak a full-blown sermon in three words from
a two-year-old little girl.
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