Several weeks ago, our family went on vacation to the beach. We rented a house and in that house we had five adults and seven grandchildren. It’s always quite the adventure when you have that many personalities and age differences in the same house. It is precious time that Wayne and I enjoy greatly and our prayer is that our children and grandchildren will have memories of these times long after we are gone.
While we were at the beach, the weather was great. However, for the first time since I have been going to the beach there was a double red flag for six out of the seven days we were there. There was a horrible rip current and a double red flag means you cannot under any circumstances get in the ocean. For our grandchildren who love the ocean and look forward to boogie boarding, it was quite a disappointment.
We still went to the beach every day even though there were only a few times they could get in the water. One particular day we were there we just happened to set our chairs up where there was a little pool in the sand that the waves from the water had formed. When I say it was a little pool, I mean little. It probably wasn’t more than an inch or two deep and maybe as large around as a beach umbrella. Let’s just say that maybe 3-4 kids could sit in that little pool at one time.
I am here to tell you that all seven grandchildren, ages 6 to 14, sat in or around that little pool together the entire morning. For hours, they dug in the sand, sat in the water, entertained and enjoyed themselves greatly. Even though they had this huge ocean right in front of them that they could not get in, they were content to play in that little water pool and the sand beside it.
It started me thinking about contentment. Contentment does not depend on what we have, but on the Savior we have living within us and realizing all we have in Him. If I am being completely honest, I probably have found myself a little (or more) discontented at several times in my life. When I lose my focus on Jesus and instead focus on my outside circumstances I can easily become discontented.
My grandchildren playing in the little pool looked beyond their circumstances and made the best of their situation. Their focus was on what they had (water and sand) not on what they didn’t have (ocean). We must learn to do the same thing to be content, realizing that our circumstances may never change but our focus can. The answer is to fix your eyes upon Jesus.
Another thing my grandchildren did was enjoy the moment. They were well aware they could not get in the ocean but it didn’t ruin their day. They enjoyed being together and playing together and appreciated what they had in front of them instead of complaining about what was missing. Isn’t that what we should do as well?
I know at times I can complain to God about what I am missing or what I “think” I might need to help me be content. In reality, when I do this I am just basically saying to God this situation I’m in is not enough for me to enjoy or appreciate this moment. I Thessalonians 5:18 says, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Notice it doesn’t say in “some” circumstances.
When we appreciate and enjoy all the things God has provided it allows us to be grateful. Gratitude is the ability to show thanks for the things God has provided and also it helps us recognize the blessings we do have because of God. Just waking up every morning is a blessing. Having provision for each day is a blessing. Being able to share Jesus is a blessing. We just have to open our eyes to be aware and see all God has provided and appreciate and enjoy each moment. Fix your eyes upon Jesus.
The last thing I noticed about my grandchildren was their ability to find the good in a not-so-good situation. Everything can be seen in a negative or a positive way, the choice is ours. My grandchildren could have seen the double red flags as a total waste of their day but instead they found the good in the situation and focused on the positive rather than the negative.
I will admit sometimes this is hard for me to do. When I found out that my husband was no longer going to be able to work I focused on the negative. I thought, "Will we be okay financially? What will he do with his time? Will he get depressed?" And a million other things. The truth is God has taken care of us financially, Wayne has found a million things to do with his time, especially this summer when the grandkids have been out of school, and he is really happy and content.
We all are able to see the evidence and positive effect of God in our lives every day. Just look around you. God gives us the ability to focus on the positive. We can turn what we think is a bad situation (negative) into a teachable moment (positive). We are able to look for solutions (positive) instead of looking at problems (negative). I feel like my grandchildren were able to do this.
I don’t know about you but there are many things that can turn up daily that could make me say my day went from good to bad. Problems come up unexpectedly and things will inevitably go wrong. None of us have control over these things but we do have control over our attitude. A positive attitude is a conscious choice we have to make.
The answer to a positive attitude is to fix your eyes upon Jesus. If we are to be content in this life we must fix our eyes on Jesus. We don’t want circumstances, fear, finances, problems or negativity to be the main influence in our life, we want it to be Jesus! The lesson I learned from my grandchildren is to look beyond my circumstances to be able to enjoy each and every moment with a positive attitude, but most of all to fix my eyes on Jesus. Maybe, just maybe, this is a good lesson for all of us!
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Jill Johnson, a staff member at the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, finds spiritual applications in her everyday experiences as a wife, mother, grandmother and Georgian. She is available to speak to your church's women's gatherings. Reach her at jjohnson@gabaptist.org.
