A wailing sound came from the middle seat of our minivan. We were on our way to church, and
someone was NOT in the Spirit. Not at
all.
That person was the youngest member of our family, Elise.
“Who’s bothering Elise?” I asked in a somewhat grumpy voice. Other people sing hymns all the way to church, but in the Waldron family, we simply survive, like people in a lifeboat dropped from the deck of the Titanic. Sometimes we even listen to "Nearer My God to Thee" to lift our spirits.
“No one is bothering her,” Victoria put in. “She just started crying.”
“Why are you upset, Elise?”
Elaine asked.
“I’m not upset,” Elise said, stopping crying for a
moment. “I’m just sad that you all went
to Israel without me!”
“Oh,” I said, not sure what to say. The trip in question happened in the summer
of 2017 and Elise wasn’t born till September of 2019. “We didn’t leave you behind,” I said. “You just weren’t born yet.”
This inspired more crying.
“Why didn’t you wait?” Elise
asked. This was the sort of question
that had no answer, certainly not an answer that would satisfy a five-year old
who feels anguish in response to all of the things her family did before she
was born.
Of course, for most of us, there is a lot more history that
precedes the date of our birth than has come since then. I suppose it doesn’t really matter. There are far more things that we haven’t
done than that we have done and far more places we haven’t visited than those we
have.
…And I’ve never been to Boston in the fall!
“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have
learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know
what it is to have plenty. 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.” (Philippians 4:12,13)
Satisfaction grows out of contentment, not out of pursuing
all of the things this world claims will satisfy. Knowing Elise, even if she had visited
Israel, she would have something else she was dissatisfied with – a Lego set she
didn’t have or some other place where she wanted to vacation.
That’s normal for a five-year-old, but I do hope she grows –
not in her desires, but in her ability to be content. This is something that even people ten times
her age can learn better. The most
joyful people also have the most contentment – not because they have the most,
but simply because they have learned to be satisfied, even in periods of want.
