The following meditation was written by Hannah Anglemyer, a youth at First Presbyterian Church of Delray Beach.
“I’m not saying this because I need anything, for I have earned how to be content in any circumstance. I know the experience of being in need and of having more than enough; I have learned the secret to being content in any and every circumstance, whether full or hungry or whether having plenty or being poor. I can endure all these things through the power of the one who gives me strength.”
Philippians 4:11-13 (Common English Bible)
My math teacher from my freshman year of high school had a tradition each year right before we took midterms. She went around to each one of her classes with a little black bag containing a bunch of tiny rocks with motivational sayings or phrases etched into the front. Then, without knowing what the rocks say, we all reached inside and grabbed one. According to her, the rock you grabbed is supposed to be something you need or something that can motivate you to get through midterms. The rock I grabbed had the word “gratitude” etched into its front. And so, taking its advice, I thanked my teacher for the gift and tucked it into a tiny pocket of my backpack I almost never touch. See, when I reach into my backpack, I’m usually looking for something—my trigonometry notes, my calculator, my Chinese textbook—or because I have midterms, tests, and then finals to worry about. But now, I’m a sophomore, and that’s all still true! But my homework takes longer, my tests are harder, and for the first time ever, math doesn’t make as much sense anymore. So I forgot about that little rock.
That was until a couple of weeks ago when I happened to reach into that same forgotten pocket and found that little rock right where I had first left it, the word “gratitude” still etched into its front. At first, I smiled at the memory and my teacher’s kind gesture. Then I started to think. In the little over a year since I had first placed the rock in my backpack, I had become incredibly consumed by the homework I still needed to do, the test grades I didn’t yet know, and by my math grade—which is lower than I would like. Finding the rock reminded me that even in the tiny world of high school, I still have so much to be grateful for. Though my math grade may not be what I want, it has improved from where it was! My teacher has gone out of her way to meet with me on several occasions to help me better understand the material, and every academic challenge I’ve faced has helped me to develop better study and time management habits. But it’s easy to forget about gratitude when you’re charging ahead to what comes next. It’s difficult to pause and be grateful for what’s in front of you right now.
I’ve found that applies outside of school, too. When I was younger, my family and I would spend a large portion of the summer with my grandparents in the North Carolina mountains. One of our favorite activities were going on long walks or hikes together. Whenever we set out, I was always very eager for the adventures that lay ahead, oftentimes volunteering to wear a very stylish fanny pack, even when the length of a hike really didn’t necessitate it. But, my attitude usually changed around halfway in. I would start to complain that I was tired of walking and could think of nothing but getting back home to a yummy snack and my favorite kids’ show. My grandfather “Doc-Doc” usually had other ideas, and he always seemed to find ways to add to the length of a hike, never missing a teachable moment. He would often pause to ask what felt like ten million questions: “So Hannah, what type of plant is this,” or “so Hannah, can you name that mountain?” As expected for a kid my age, I almost never answered correctly, which meant an even longer conversation involving a history or science lesson. Despite being moments I now look back on fondly, my eagerness to get back home prevented me from appreciating this time with family and the incredible beauty of God’s creation surrounding me. Looking ahead to what could come next prevented me from being content with the blessings right in front of me.
In his Epistle to the Philippians, Paul writes that he has learned “the secret to being content in any and every circumstance, whether full or hungry or whether having plenty or being poor.” It sounds like an incredible secret; after all, it’s not easy to be content with the present when you don’t know what the future holds. But Paul gives away the secret in the next line. He says he is able to “endure all these things through the power of the one who gives [him] strength.” When we struggle to take moments to show gratitude or find ourselves ignoring what we already have, Paul teaches us to turn to God. Through God, we are able to find peace with what is in front of us now and give proper gratitude for all we have.
Joy,