Contentment

(Photo: The Nigmatic @unsplash.com)

“Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act.”—Psalm 37:3-5, ESV

The Kingdom of God is like the man who set out to take a photo of the early summer full moon. He had all the right equipment, a beautiful field in which to capture the moment, and not a cloud in the evening sky. The tripod was set. His compass pinpointed on the horizon where the moon would rise. And he waited and waited, patiently at first, but then grew fidgety as the appointed time of the rise came and went — he had forgotten that here, it had to emerge over mountains and trees first. There was much impatience and restlessness. And then the moment finally arrived.

“There it is!,” said the man. After much experimenting and adjusting, however, only a few of the many photos came close to capturing the majesty of it all. And then the much-anticipated moment quickly passed. A rush of joy but then a sinking feeling of closure so quickly…until the man began to put his camera away, and he noticed something wonderful.

Long before the moon made its appearance, during all the waiting and waiting and waiting, he had forgotten about how he had surveyed the field of gently blowing grass and wildflowers and fireflies, and how he had found incredible peace and joy in that moment and tried to do the impossible — capture it all on film — knowing that a picture only tells half the story. And he looked at the photos of the moon and he looked at the photos of the field and he heard a voice speak deep within:

“Never take for granted the beauty of the Journey and the joy of the moment, or to be in such a hurry to get to where or what you think you really want when the best and most satisfying moments of the Journey can be in the routine along the way, of waiting, of learning patience, of turning down your inner volume and being still so you can not just hear but listen.”

It was not unlike the same voice that often rose up in the man while running and looking forward to the finish line, when the best part always seemed to be not the finish line at all but all the processing and dreaming and clarity amidst confusion that often took place in his brain and heart along the way.

There is a saying that goes “trust the process.” But in the Kingdom of God, the saying is better: “Embrace the process.” Because it is here, in the fields and back roads of life, where the man with the camera and everyone else who Believes can hear best and where God often seems to speak loudest and to the deepest needs within, where real growth puts down roots, and where the eyes of the heart get their much needed and right perspective.

Where it’s good simply to be in His presence.