Contentment

I suppose anyone with a pet has the desire of wanting the ability to have better communication with their little friends. Our relationship with our pets seem to be rocking right along without any problems and then we come home to find the flower beds uprooted and holes dug all over the lawn, or walk inside to discover what looks like a miniature tornado has passed through the interior of our house. They certainly don’t start purring and rubbing against your leg or stand there looking at you with their tail wagging asking for approval for what they have done. On the contrary, for if they have been disciplined in the past they generally tuck tail and cower away to get as much distance between you and them as possible. As you cool off you begin to wonder why, you probably start talking to your pet like a child, actually expecting an answer. Pet owners have to figure out what the complaint is all about and adjust for it. I know for me it’s a lack of attention and exercise that sets my little one off and she definitely expresses her displeasure in very noticeable ways. Some more of those growing pains.

A rabbit, a mouse and a chicken all took up residence together. They worked up a very good plan wherein all of them shared in the workload. The rabbit cooked the meals, the chicken brought in the firewood and the mouse acquired water from a nearby brook. They were all very happy. One day as the hen was going into the woods to collect firewood, she was approached by a busybody crow. He inquired as to what she was doing. Upon hearing her responsibilities he began to tell her how the rabbit and the mouse were taking advantage of her by doing the easy work. She just could not rid her mind of this discussion. On her way home she grew angry thinking how she was being abused by her roommates. She made up her mind to do something about it. Arriving at home she started complaining about her workload, “It’s not fair that I always have to do the hardest work. Why don’t we switch things up?” Well, a heated discussion ensued and the other two decided that they were also doing the hardest work and that a change would indeed be the best solution. As discontentment will do, it had spread from the chicken to the others. Now they were about to change their lifestyle with which they were very satisfied. The rabbit would get the firewood while the mouse cooked and the chicken brought the water. As the rabbit hopped into the woods to get the firewood, a fox saw him and followed him, until he got the chance to catch and eat the rabbit. The chicken took the pail to the brook and dipped it into the water. The current however was too strong for her and it pulled her under. The mouse sat at home on the edge of the pot of stew he had made and waited for the others to arrive. Sitting there he dosed off, lost his balance and fell into the pot. The, dreadful, end.

[Philippians 4:10-13; Proverbs 26:20-21] It all began as discontentment with life. It ended with all of them losing their life. Paul wrote: “…I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation. …I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Don’t get me wrong here. Change can be good, but if it is to benefit you alone, it could destroy everything around you. Sometimes we have to learn to live with some circumstances of life. The next time you complain about something, don’t be so ready to cause upheaval. Express your opinion without heavy opposition and the willingness to listen to others. I’m still trying to learn this very difficult lesson myself.