Mustard

“Watch out!” came the warning from the passenger seat as a goopy mustard packet slid off the makeshift dashboard table into my lap.  It was 40 degrees and windy in the Brewers parking lot, so our tailgate plans pivoted to Jimmy John’s subs and warm conversation in the car.  “Benched” for the evening were our camp chairs and milk crate table.  However, we did crack a window to savor brats grilling all around us!

Did I mention it was warmer in the car?  Gotta love April baseball in Milwaukee with a retractable roof for such evenings!  Cold weather, mustard incident, and a Brewers loss aside, we had a great time both outside and inside the ballpark!  No, not as we’d planned and hoped, but we drove home content anyway…

Years ago, someone who’d done quite a 180 on Jesus Christ (Paul), wrote about contentment being a skill to learn, secret to discover, and strength to receive.  He further stated that a faith relationship with Jesus was central to contentment that’s versatile and powerful. Quite a contrast to pervasive discontentment that can threaten to both exhaust us and rob us of being fully present to God and others.

“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.

I’ve learned the secret of being content in any and every situation,

whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can 

do everything through Christ who gives me strength.”     -Philippians 4:12-13