Finding Contentment through Joy in the Little Things
I want to tell you a story about contentment and joy. Once upon a time, (last Sunday, to be exact) something happened. It was something that I would never have noticed if my 12-year-old son hadn’t drawn my attention to it.
There are so many little things in life that can be sources of joy. Focusing on these little things results in contentment in daily life. My son was able to teach me an incredible lesson about contentment and joy with just one sentence and a huge, elated grin.
He has high functioning autism. He sees the world and certain situations in a much different way than I do. I have learned a lot from him. This is just one more life lesson from one of my children.
Joy in Passing the Plate
Last Sunday, as we were taking up tithes and offering during church service, the plate came to our row of seats. Generally, this child sits between my husband and me. My husband, always sitting at the end of the row, is handed the plate and passes it straight to me. Sometimes my son has earned some cash during the week and will drop some of it in as the plate passes from the parent on one side to the parent on his other side.
This particular Sunday, my husband, for whatever reason, handed to plate straight to my son who passed it to me. After I passed it down the row to the next person, I looked over at my little guy who was just giddy. He was wiggling, and his legs were unable to be still. He had the biggest grin on his face. It looked like I had just told him we were going on a dream vacation.
I asked him what happened as I grinned back at him, because his smile is truly infectious. He giggled as he said, “I got to pass the plate!” I must have looked confused, because he then elaborated, “You know how usually, I just put money in or watch other people put stuff in? This time, I passed it! He handed it to ME, and I gave it to YOU!” The excitement in his voice increased more and more with each word, and by the end of his statement, it was all he could do to keep his voice down. He was sitting sideways and finger-flicking so hard I thought his hands might break. This boy was so ecstatic over what seemed so small that I would never have noticed.
What’s more, is that he told me he had passed it before. It’s not like this was the first time. He said that he just really likes to pass it. The joy he got from passing that plate reminded me that the old cliche that says “It’s the little things in life…” is true. You better believe that every week from now on, that boy will be passing the plate himself.
Contentment in Little Joys
The Bible teaches in Matthew 13 that the kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed. A mustard seed is tiny, but it grows. It becomes a tree and is larger than all the plants in the garden. What I saw as a tiny act my boy saw as a source of joy. He reminded me to look for the little joys in life. Finding a dozen little joys in each day really does add up to a sense of contentment in life.
Moral of the Story
I love fables. I used to read fables almost daily to my kids when they were little. Like any good fable, there is a moral of the story here too: little joys add up to big-time contentment. Be intentional in finding all the little sources of joy. Write them down if you want. Throughout the day, remind yourself of the little joys, the blessings in your daily life you tend overlook. As the list gets longer the sense of contentment increases. Keep looking, even on the hard days, for the little joys. Remember the moral of the story.