Ethiopia changed my idea of what it means to be truly blessed. We typically view wealth and health as signs of blessing. The ideal life is to have all your needs and most of your wants met and a growing number in your bank account.
While these goals are not wrong and money itself is not "bad," our view of living a blessed life is often turned around. If wealth and comfort is truly the key to a blessed life, then why is everyone unhappy? Why are so many in this land of plenty discontent?
Of all places, it took a third-world country for me to see a glimpse into the truly blessed life.
Traveling from village to village visiting sponsored children through Food for the Hungry, we were met with overflowing kindness and hospitality. How could their children sing joyfully about Jesus and their mothers willingly share food with a visitor when they barely had enough for themselves? What made a school of four hundred children between the ages of six to eighteen cheer at the top of their lungs when receiving just two soccer balls?
While our country abounds in resources and plenty, we are often inclined to hold back and want more. We are afraid to give because it would mean less for us. The more we have, the more we have to lose, and the tighter we grasp at our possessions. Yet the Ethiopian people have the unique perspective to see that life is more than possessions.
“But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.”
1 Timothy 6:12
The secret to the blessed life is accessible to anyone, and while we all know the secret, many do not possess it. Wealth easily blinds us from grasping it. Yet it is contentment that makes the Ethiopian people smile while surrounded by poverty.
Some would argue that the Ethiopian people are content because it is the only way of life they know. Our team joined a meeting of community leaders consisting of teachers, principals, farmers, business owners, etc. in a small, windowless building that served as a school. The door had to be left open to allow some light in. Each of us sat in a little wooden chair that had a desktop attached to the side.
Through a translator, the men shared with us the current needs in their community and their vision for growth, along with strides the community had already taken. As I listened, one word kept coming to my mind. These men lived in a poor community where most children had to walk three hours one way just to fill their jug with dirty water. Young children were everywhere wandering the roads and villages without supervision, and many older children were held back from school in order to work.
The word that continued to surface in my mind as I listened to these men through the translator was “overcomer.” These men were overcomers.
They were not being overcome by their situation, but were overcoming their situation.
I walked away with a great respect for those men in that community. Days after, I still continued to ponder what I had seen. Throughout my life, I have seen people who could be wearing the latest fashions and name brand clothing, yet wear it in a shabby way by how they interact with others and carry themselves. These people wore what most would call “shabby clothing” yet they wore it with a gentle dignity that evoked respect.
While they desire better situations and futures for their children and communities, it does not rob them of their current contentment. They do not need "more" to be joyful now.
As children of God, we are commanded to give thanks and be joyful in all circumstances. We can do this even in the worst situation because our joy is found only in Jesus. In those moments when He is all we have, it is then when we begin to realize He is all we need.
Although not every joyful person I witnessed in Ethiopia may know the Lord personally, their lives are a testament to His goodness and the truth that contentment truly is great gain.
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