WEDNESDAY'S WORD - SATISFIED - Sadell Bradley - 12/9/2020

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD SATISFIED Sadell Bradley 12/9/2020 "A person whose mind is quiet and satisfied in God is in the pathway to health." - Ellen G. White - American Writer "It is better to be satisfied with what you have than to be always wanting something else." (Ecc. 6:9b, GNT) Each night at The Warehouse we pray together at 9pm. The more I prayed this Scripture yesterday, the more powerful it became. I spoke aloud of our gratefulness for the simplest of blessings: air, health, soundness of mind, activity of limbs, hot running water, homes, work, cars, religious freedom, family, choices of food, closets with clothes and shoes to choose from, etc. Just repeating the words I AM SATISFIED brings a sense of calm, release, and relief. Try it. It struck me how rare it is to hear the word SATISFIED without the prefix 'dis' or the word 'not' before it—particularly these days. Some even believe dissatisfaction is a positive trait. We've become experts at murmuring and complaining. When's the last time you asked someone how they were feeling and they replied, "I'm completely satisfied!" SATISFIED means contented; pleased; that the expectation or need has been met; that the desire has been fulfilled; that adequate provision has been made; that the debt has been paid—that it is enough. GREENER GRASS? I grew up in West Philadelphia in brick row homes. Anyone who had lawns was wealthy and generally lived in the suburbs. I mean, we literally shared walls with our neighbors, and heard their movements. When I first arrived in Ohio, I thought everyone was rich because they had separated houses with grass and trees. I was in awe even of basic neighborhoods. I had never experienced a plot of land. When you move into a neighborhood with grass that people are tending to, a phenomenon occurs—you start to compare, and you start to care. Is the neighbor's grass greener? Is their landscaping nicer? You're delighted when you've just cut your grass, and anxious if yours gets to be a little bit longer than everyone else's. It's a race against time, rain, sunshine, sprinklers and fertilizer. How green your grass is...is not just a matter of cosmetics, but of your identity, worth, and value! Your neighbor's 'grass' always seems to be greener, so you become dissatisfied and work to keep up. There was a time when I was just grateful to have grass at all—then suddenly the status of my grass compared to that of others became a big deal. I hope you're getting this metaphor, cause I'm not just talking about grass. I CAN'T GET NO SATISFACTION "He who loves money is never satisfied by money, and he who loves wealth is never satisfied by income. This to is futile." (Ecc. 5:10, BSB) This statement came from the wealthiest man on the earth at the time, king Solomon. His writings speak of the vanity of the things that he possessed that we so often crave: wealth, power, success, status, intellect, and sexual pleasure. He had all of it, and said, "Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun." (Ecc.2:11) Many don't even know what they want, they just know that what we have isn't it. Some folks are more clear, "I just want what THEY have! " Here's a new mantra for all of us to try and repeat, "I am satisfied!"