Intersections: Where Faith Meets Life – by Bob Weathers

Fred Goldman was excited about the prospect of seizing a valuable possession from O.J. Simpson. In 1995, Simpson was famously acquitted of murdering Ron Goldman, Fred’s son, and Simpson’s ex-wife, Nichole Brown. But following the acquittal, a civil court ruled that Simpson was responsible for their deaths, and he was ordered to pay Goldman’s family $33.5 million.

Bob Weathers

Since then, lawyers for the Goldman family have been trying to collect on this judgment. And in October, the family thought it was about to dent the settlement when Simpson was ordered to turn over a Rolex watch, which experts speculated could be worth nearly $22,000. Simpson just shrugged. He said he had paid about $125 for the piece of jewelry. Even so, the court snatched it from his wrist and handed it to the Goldmans, who quickly had it appraised. The watch was a fake, worth about $100. Ouch.

Oh, well. You can’t always get what you want. So what do we do? Paul said it well, “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am” (Philippians 4:11).

Discontentment breeds disappointment. How? Discontentment builds the belief that we can get all we want; that there is something better than what we have; someone more lovely than those we know; places more desirable than where we live.

So we pursue what we think will make us really happy. But when we get it, we are disappointed. The watch doesn’t glitter like we thought it would. The bigger house has mildew like the old one. The better car comes with a price that pressures us to work late. The co-worker is painfully flawed after all.

What’s the answer? Gratitude. Gratitude feeds contentment, keeps us realistic, teaches us to appreciate, to love, to embrace what we have and where we are. God did this. Why not be grateful?

Paul learned it. It is no accident that a few lines before he said he had learned to be content, he coached his readers to pray with thanksgiving (4:6).

So, instead of fretting about what you don’t have, appreciate what you have and be thankful for who sits around you at the table (Matthew 6:25). Your discontent will melt away, your disappointment will dissipate, and your gratitude will grow. Happy Thanksgiving.