Learning the Secret
“Not that I am referring to being in need; for I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” – Philippians 4:11-13
I know what it is to live on an urban street strewn with broken glass, and I know what it’s like to have a hiking trail out my back door. I have been awakened repeatedly by fire-engine sirens signaling a neighbor’s latest overdose, and I have been lulled to sleep by the late-night hooting of the local barred owl. I have been met at my front door by a neighbor asking if I know how to tell if someone is dead, and I’ve encountered a black bear on my front porch.
As for circumstances, I know what it’s like to skip a meal for lack of money, and I know the pleasure of setting a welcoming table. I’ve known the shelter of friends, the passionate embrace of a partner—and felt a lonely shame in spending another holiday alone. I know what it is to feel born to do the task at hand, and what it is to lose a job I love. I’ve slogged through depression and glided through other days on a carpet of joy. I have been healthy unto immortality, and I’ve gotten the phone call bearing news of a dreaded diagnosis. I have felt utterly abandoned by God, and I’ve been brought to my knees by an overwhelming sense of God’s presence.
I don’t think for a minute that I can do all things, but I am learning to trust the one who can. I have no idea what comes next or what this new year will bring, and I am trying to be okay with that. I am discovering that gratitude paves the way for contentment, which opens the door to peace. And that is not a bad place to be at all.
Prayer
Holy One who never changes, Gracious One who walks with me: Teach me the secret of contentment. Strengthen me with your peace. Thank you for the gift of life—for the little, the plenty, and everything in between.
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Vicki Kemper is the Pastor of First Congregational, UCC, of Amherst, Massachusetts.