Good morning. If you were to visit the town of my youth, Nevis, MN, you would find a small spot called The Nevis Café. It is everything you would expect from a small-town traditional coffee and lunch stop where the locals hang out. There is an old Juke box that has had the same records for 40 years. There is an old cook that uses the same old stove cooking the same old things that he has since Nixon was in office. There is an old waitress who is just as rude today as she was when she was 30, and that was a while ago. Above and behind the cash register there is an arrangement of old coffee mugs. They look old, and I assume they are the same ones that have held their place on that shelf since the 70s. Each mug proudly has “The Nevis Café” printed across the front of it. When I was last in there, and it has been a few years now, I thought, “Why not?” So, I asked the waitress how much the mugs cost. She had no idea, no one had ever asked. She asked the old cook, and he gave the same answer. She turned back to me and said, “Sorry, I guess they’re not for sale.” I went away disappointed. I wanted a coffee mug that said, “The Nevis Café.” Why? Who knows, because I certainly don’t lack for coffee mugs. As a matter of fact, I have been using the same mug for years. Pam gave it to me. It says, “Born to Fish.”
Lawrence Shames wrote a penetrating analysis of the American preoccupation with consumerism. It is titled The Hunger for More. In it he writes: More. If there is a single word that summarizes American hopes and obsessions, that’s it. More money. More success. More luxuries and more gizmos. We live for more—starving for our next raise, our next house, our next car, our next husband or wife. All that matters is that it is more than what we have now, for those things pale in comparison to the things we might yet get.
What a terrible point of view. Perhaps it is all the more terrible because it is difficult to argue, and say that the American culture of which we are proudly a part is not well described with those words. We are, as a people, rarely satisfied.
The apostle Paul looked at life from an entirely different direction. He said in his letter to the Philippians, chapter 4 verses 11-13 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content in every circumstance. 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 all things through Him who gives me strength.
Paul is saying that it isn’t circumstances that define satisfaction, it is the heart and faith that give us strength.
Likewise, in his letter to Timothy Paul writes in 1 Timothy 6:6-7 But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and we can take nothing out of it. He goes on to say that it is the simple things, the basics, that are needed, and all that is beyond them must be carefully considered because they could be a trap.
The most quoted verse of that passage is the 10th, and it is often misquoted. It says, For it is the love of money that is the root of all kinds of evil. It isn’t what we have or the size of our paycheck, it is the attitude of the heart that counts. When our love is directed to the temporary, and I think that most of us would agree that our paychecks could be described as “fleeting,” we have misjudged what is important.
For a quick exercise, make a list of the five things and/or people that are most important to you in this life. OK, now that you have your list, which of those people or things came to you by way of a great purchase? My guess is that if you are like most people, those five most important people or things didn’t have a price tag. In fact, the people in your life who love you and are the focus of your love can’t be bought or sold. They are God’s gift to you.
How about the certainty of your salvation? Did that make your list? (If not, go ahead and rewrite your list if you want to.) How about God’s unfailing love and providential care? (The same rule as the previous sentence applies.)
Every now and then it is a good idea to take a deep breath and remember why you are satisfied. We need to remember who is really important to us and what God’s promises and love truly mean for us.
By the way, the reason I remembered the coffee cup in Nevis is that it bugged me that I couldn’t have one, even though I clearly didn’t need one. When you stop and think about it, there are quite a few things that could be categorized as things we don’t need, shouldn’t have, and aren’t actually important. Dear Lord, grant me the wisdom to know the difference.
May you be blessed with satisfaction today.
Vern