TRINITY CHRISTIAN CENTER CHURCH MISSIVE

Vol. 7:–No: 16(April 24, 2016)

Philippians 4:13-“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

I wonder if any of you have ever had the feeling that life is bad…really bad. So bad you wish you were in another situation. Many of us have been through such thoughts. Life isn’t always easy. Life can be harsh. Work is hard. Life in general is hard. Everything seems to go wrong. Perhaps you don’t seem to be making enough money to make ‘ends meet’ all the time. But how about those who seem to be happy when money is ‘tight’? Unfortunate happenings may still befall them, and life in general seems without hope. No matter how much money you have—this will not bring happiness or joy. So how can one be happy when much is against you?

Think about this: some mothers in India perform a grisly deed—that of chopping off the hand of their young in order for the youngsters to have a more pathetic look as they beg on the streets for a daily handout. Would a mother do such a deed? The answer is a resounding ‘YES’ because it is a common occurrence. The desperate mother deliberately causes her child to be handicapped so that the child will look more pitiful and thus, hopefully, evoke more sympathy(plus money) from those who come into contact with said child.

One man, who thought his world was too harsh to survive, saw first-hand the atrocity just mentioned above and he instantly was thankful that not only did he still have both of his hands, but he could use these hands to provide for his family, no matter how hard the situation became. He began to realize just how fortunate he was—to have a complete body, a job, a family, and the chance to pick and choose what he wished to eat. A change of clothes daily. A warm bed to sleep in at night. He also realized that even though life can at times be hard, one must be grateful for what one has.

What about you? Is your life so awful? Maybe the next time you think you are in such a bad way…think about the child who gave up his hand just so he could beg more efficiently on the streets. Like a great philosopher once said…”Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want; it is the realization of how much you already have.”