The dining room is a busy place in a nursing home over supper time.  Dishes clatter,  spoons scrape, CNA's coach the people they are assisting. The general ruckus of another normal night unfolds.

In the midst of the hubbub, a woman sat in her wheelchair wailing at the top of her lungs.  Everybody hated her.  We didn't care for her.  She was going to tell her Mom what awful things we had done to her (of course, her Mom was long gone).

A closer inspection revealed the true reason for the complete and utter panic attack she thrust herself into.  A fluid restriction and less of her favorite beloved sweet tea had to be set in front of her for supper.  A half cup of the golden brown beverage sat temptingly in front of her, rather then the normal full cup.

And so, the wailing ensued. She wanted a FULL cup of sweet tea! No half cups will do.  Rather then relaxing and relishing the half cup she was allotted to enjoy, she wept and wailed over the half cup that wasn't there.

In the middle of my growing irritation at her irrational mind and the fact that no reasoning could get anywhere with her, I was suddenly smitten with a parallel that convicted my own heart.  How many times am I like that in my relationship with God and the things He brings into my life?  Am I constantly whining about everything I don't have and wish I did, rather then rejoicing in and making the absolute best out of what He has given me?  How many times does He shake His head in frustration over my stubborn and irrational wishes, all the while knowing that His plan is the absolute best He has for me?

As I helped clean up the remains of supper, I resolved to strive to be content with the beautiful things God has given me, rather then weeping and wailing for what I don't yet (or may never) have.  Living a life of discontentment strips me of the opportunity to cherish the blessings I do have, and the moments slip by, never to be seen again.

Kim