We are adjusting to a new way of life here in the good ‘ole USA and our expectations are on overdrive as we face all the unknowns. It is reminiscent of days of preparation, instruction, and the eventual beginning of our lives on the Colombian border, tucked into the dense rainforest of the Darien Gap in Panama. Visiting empty market shelves and being asked to stay homebound are new American adventures. Will I have enough of what I think I need to endure the next few weeks and possibly months?
We would buy for 3-6 months at a time in Panama because we only came out of the jungle that often. I was not accustomed to planning meals months in advance, but I LEARNED! I learned very early what it took when I did not have enough oil, flour, rice, beans or…?? Meat was scarce, if at all…it was seasonal. We lived on a river and we had fish…good fish!
It was a daily exercise of mine to learn to be and remain content…realizing that God had already provided everything I needed for my present and future happiness! Contentment required my distinguishing between my needs and my wants! I look back and again realize there are few things in life that are really necessary. In fact, God identified just two: food and clothing! I owned two Kuna dresses (I wore one and washed one) and one pair of flip-flops! Could I be content with the basics of food and clothing?
In the jungle there were lots of little mice. Those little varmints were content to live anywhere! A boot, under my porch, in my cupboards…They made themselves comfortable with whatever was available! Could I learn to do the same? Mud-packed floors, bark walls, tin roof, no electricity or running water, creepy crawlies everywhere, an outhouse, chiggers, mosquitos, vampire bats, monkeys on the porch, a river for a washing machine and a clothes line (instead of a dryer)…
“If I am not satisfied with what I have, I will never be satisfied with what I want.”
Ralph Guthrie
The more I released earthly possessions, the more I could grasp eternal treasures. Martin Luther said, “Next to faith, this is the highest art; to be content in the calling in which God has placed you.” Contentment comes as we realize that God is all we really need and He will never leave us. We are told “to be content with what we have; for He has said, I will never leave you or forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5 “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, I am to be content”. Phil. 3:10
Do you believe God has given you all you need?
~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America. Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California. My passion is mentoring and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights.
