Meatballs.

One night at the dinner table our blond, curly-haired, 6-year-old son sat remarkably still in his yellow booster seat, carefully examining his plate of spaghetti. He slowly stirred the noodles and sauce around with his little fork. “What’s the matter Jake?” I asked. He looked up at me with his big brown eyes, sighed so deeply his shoulders moved up and down, and said, “Sometimes you get a meatball, sometimes you don’t.” Then he scooped up a forkful of noodles, smiled and started eating.

"But the reality is that sometimes life isn’t fair"

He didn't get a meatball. And his two brothers got lots of meatballs, but he was willing to accept the fact that tonight he didn’t get a single one. After Jake’s comment I almost jumped up, counted the other boys’ meatballs and gave Jake the same number, just to be fair.

But the reality is that sometimes life isn’t fair. Sometimes we lose our jobs, sometimes a family member gets sick, and sometimes even our marriages are difficult. Other times we have plenty. Our children are healthy, our homes are warm, and we have more than enough to eat. The trick is learning to find contentment in any situation. Like Jake said, sometimes you get a meatball and sometimes you don’t.

Lord, help me to be content in each and every circumstance I encounter in life, and to teach my children the art of living a life of contentment.

By Jean Blackmer, Publishing Manager for MOPS International's Mom-E-mail