The Gift of Contentment
Growing up, my family lived in a simple wood frame house in a working class neighborhood, nestled in the shadow of refineries and petrochemical plants. Thanks to the G.I. bill, my father bought it new in the early 1950s for less than 12,000 dollars.
Ours was a household shaped by thrift. My father, just 11 years old when the stock market crashed, was deeply marked by the Great Depression. He lived with utmost simplicity. Every part of life bore the stamp of frugality, but food reminded us of it every day.
Sandwiches were made with very thin slices of store brand white bread. The Oscar Mayer “luncheon loaf” looked like ham, but one bite convinced you otherwise. A slice of American cheese or some pickles made it tolerable if you were hungry enough.
Later, my parents upgraded to cooked ham from Buddig, sliced so thin you could almost see through it. We built those sandwiches on the same gummy bread with Miracle Whip and two tissue thin slices of ham. But it was real ham—a big upgrade over luncheon meat. With some chips and the store brand soda, it was a perfectly acceptable lunch.
My wife and I both grew up with this kind of economy, which prepared us to start our family young and face lean years with resilience. Even though money was always tight, those were days full of wonderful memories.
Today, retirement brings different blessings. We can afford regular quality foods and eat out at casual restaurants without having to worry about the bill. Life has improved in many ways, but honestly, the satisfaction isn’t so different from those days of Buddig sandwiches.
We still enjoy the nice things, like taking cruise vacations a few times a year, but we’re content with a basic cabin and whatever meals are included. Reading others’ cruise reviews always surprises me—they often let the smallest annoyances rob them of joy. It’s a sad way to live when an under toasted bagel can steal your joy for the day. Too often, perfectionism turns life into disappointments.
The Bible calls us to a deeper kind of contentment learned through both lean times and abundance. Solomon writes that when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, “this is a gift of God.” And Paul, writing to the Philippians, says, “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.”
Contentment isn’t generated by willpower. It comes as God teaches us, through both scarcity and abundance, to trust Christ, who gives strength in every circumstance.
Today, may we ask God for the grace to enjoy what we have—and to thank Him wholeheartedly, recognizing every good thing as a gift from our Creator.
. . . and that’s what I know today.
