Good morning. It is that Saturday near the middle of August when we can expect them to come. They march up to our doors on quiet Saturdays and ring our bells, hoping that the faces which greet them will belong to people with good hearts and a few bucks to spare. I am speaking of children. Those kids who go door to door either selling something at an elevated price, or who simply do their best to beg. It may be about buying a shopping discount card for the football team, or a candy bar for the band, or a member of a 3rd grade class in need of extra money to buy supplies…these last weren’t selling anything, they just politely asked for the money.
OK, now imagine another kind of vendor. He is a door-to-door salesman roaming the streets, going house to house, door to door, in an attempt to sell—contentment.
He slowly makes his way from house to house offering—an hour of peace, a smile of acceptance that is honest and true, a sigh of relief for a job well done, a quiet word of appreciation in a world more known for cruelty and criticism.
You see him leave a doorstep and intercept him on the walkway, curious about who he is and what he is trying to sell. When he tells you of his product, contentment, your reaction is that he must be having a really good day. After all, who wouldn’t want a supply of contentment?
“Oh no,” he said. “You see, I charge an awfully high price.” “You do?” I ask. “But I would think it would be worth it, I mean…well…how much are you charging for contentment?”
“My price for contentment is that people trade in their schedules, give up their frustrations, release their anxieties, trust in the Father to provide what is needed and best.” He shook his head and looked down at his feet and said, “People seem strangely proud of their ulcers, happy with their headaches, inspired by miseries. They seem to want to show off their emotional scars as though they are proof of a life well lived. It is as though they wear these things as medals of valor, proving that they are heroes for surviving the fight.”
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7
When God offers peace to you today, please consider it as well worth the price. Who needs an ulcer anyway?
Vern