MOVE THAT BUS!!!!

MOVE THAT BUS!!!!! Yes, its Sunday night and I am making the most of it by catching up with my favorite shows. I recently got a TV after a couple of months without one. Right now, my brain is on overload, because I am literally watching three shows at the same time. One of the shows, is Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. This week, its the Johnson family, two parents with five daughters, who live in a rotted out old house which leans when they are all in the same room.  The house was purchased for $3200 in the 1940s and the foundation has slowly eroded over the years, due to termite damage. After the family was sent to Paris for a week, (Oh-la-la), they returned home shouting "MOVE THAT BUS" and prepared to see their new home. 

When the bus moved, right in front of them stood a beautiful three story stucco house, complete with a runway for their five fashionista girls. I am in tears just thinking about what the family has had to endure over the years as they lived together in this house. Yet this is a family that has never stopped laughing or living their lives despite the circumstances that faced them.   This reminds me of the message today at church which was taken from Philippians  4:11-13. "Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do all things through Christ, who give me strength." 

Seeing the joy on the faces of the Johnsons is a reminder that we can be content no matter what happens in life. This family was joyful before the makeover because they had each other, after the makeover, their joy was multiplied because of the blessings they were able to share together. I know that I am guilty of looking around and seeing other people and all their "stuff" whether its material possessions or relationships and feeling discontent. But after seeing this show, its a reminder that no matter how little we think we have, there is always someone with much less than we have. There's that old saying about the man who was sad that he had no shoes, until he met the man with no feet.  Well the perfect antidote for discontentment is taking action and giving back. When you serve others who are disadvantaged, homeless, hungry, or sick, you have the opportunity to let them show you true contentment. Below is a link to ABC's A Better Community, which lists different organizations that you can volunteer with. So if you are truly feeling down or discontent, here's the opportunity to experience the joy of giving back. xo

A Better Community