WOULD you be contented, little reader, to have a meal as these children are doing,—with a wheel-barrow for chairs, no table, and only a bowl of soup apiece for food? Perhaps some of you would. Sometimes when very hungry, we are easily satisfied.
But some of you who always have all you want, might think it hard to have such a plain meal so poorly served. How many of you think, when eating, that God is the giver of all you have? To some of His children He gives very comfortable homes and plenty of good food. But with all this they may have troubles and sorrow of heart.
Others may have plainer homes and less to eat with very little sickness and loss of loved ones.
God does not give any of us everything, for if He did we would be too ready to be satisfied down here, and forget that He is the “giver of every good and perfect gift.”
But while God does not give us all we might wish of this world’s goods, He does give us all we need.
The three children look contented with their bowls of soup, and seem to be enjoying them. And that is what the Lord would like to see in each one of us. Whether He gives us little or whether He gives us much, we should be very grateful to Him for what we have.
The glittering gems of earth are oft-denied,
That with our Lord we may be sat isfied.
And yet He showers about us gifts un told,
For God knows when to give and when withhold.
We are much happier when satisfied with what we have than when we are continually wishing for this thing and that thing that God knows we are better off without. In Hebrews 13:55Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. (Hebrews 13:5) He says, “BE CONTENT WITH SUCH THINGS AS YE HAVE.” This is an easy verse for you little ones to learn, and one that will make you happy if you act on it.
Messages of God’s Love 6/4/1911