Contentedness - by Ben Barnes

We haven't been sleeping a lot at the Barnes house lately. The new baby has been setting our schedule and she seems to think that the world (and our sleeping patterns) should revolve around her. Don't get me wrong - my life most certainly does revolve around Emaline. But I also have a job to do, a new house to get set up, and a yard that constantly needs to be mowed. My to-do list hasn't been completed in nine weeks... and it keeps getting bigger. Most days, I spend more time trying to keep a tiny baby from crying than I do walking behind a dirty old mower or unpacking boxes.

And, to be honest, I'm just fine with that.

Over the past eight or nine weeks, I've had to learn a little bit about being content.  Instead of getting my list of chores done, I have learned to be okay with just holding my sweet baby. Though I have a list of things that are constantly pulling me to get moving and accomplish something, I've started to realize that the list is nowhere near as important as being with my family.

Phillippians 4 talks about the fact that Paul learned to be content in just about any situation.  He gives the secret to the contentedness, which I think of daily as my grass keeps getting longer. 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.'