Nothing Like a Happy Child...

He came into my bedroom, plopped himself down on the rocking chair and said with a sigh and a smile, "I love this chair." That's his way. Noah is happy with the smallest of things. At a dear friends house, he was asked if he'd like to go in the backyard. "I love backyards!" was his reply. And when the waitress brought him his drink yesterday, he said, "Thanks, Lady. You're my best friend!"

There is nothing like a happy child. And for the most part, Noah is a very content little boy. Even when he doesn't get his way, he's not that difficult. I watch him and wonder why that is. I suppose the simplest of answers is that it's just his temperament. Or maybe it's that all of his needs are met and he's a low maintenance kind of guy. But when I think about my own life, my reaction to all that God has given me, Noah puts me to shame. I am never content. Rarely do I wake up in the morning and think, "I love life!" There's always something to complain about...and I must spend half my time doing just that.

As the mother of a content child, I know what it's like to witness the joy on his face over the littlest of things. What must God feel like when he hears my constant groaning? I want to be the child who is grateful for backyards instead of unhappy with the neighborhood we live in. I want to love chairs instead of wishing the upholstery was in better shape. I want to be so thirsty that the quencher of my thirst becomes my best friend. O Lord, forgive your spoiled daughter...and thank you for giving me an example in my three year old son. There is nothing like a happy child...and I am nothing like a happy child...but I'm workin' on it.

"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. I can do everything through him who gives me strength."
-Philippians 4:11-13