Most of us recognize the beginning of Shakespeare's poem, "The Seven Ages of Man". It begins with "All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players,/ They have their exits and entrances,/ And one man in his time plays many parts,...." Today I thought of Shakespeare's second age, schoolboy, as I observed a young boy skipping across the pool parking lot and presumably headed home. It brought a smile to my face as I witnessed his carefree stage of life, having fun just traveling from one place to another. Then I thought of 1 Timothy 6:6, "But godliness with contentment is great gain." and Paul's words in Philippians 4:11, "...for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances."
Too often we see people "playing their parts", but not content in the moment. Youth can't wait until they get older while older folks expend an enormous amount of effort trying to appear and feel younger. Single folks want to be married, and too often married couples want to be single again. Those who have difficulty with infertility are understandably anxious to be parents while others long for their children to be grown and out of the house. Many people want more money, but we often hear tragic stories of wealthy people who live unfulfilled, lonely lives.
Last month my house was falling down...well, at least the ceilings. Less than a month later it is back together again. What a chaotic month, but just a brief moment of my life and a nanosecond in the backdrop of eternity. I am so glad that I had my faith to rely on to help keep a healthy perspective and enough life experiences to fully know that God would see us through. I'm so glad that I was able to realize that I had much to be thankful for in the midst of the chaos. And I am so glad that I have God's word and praying friends and helping friends and family to walk along with me. Just today I was reminding someone to look back and see what God has gotten her through in the past, to bolster her confidence that He has the future in hand as well.
Maybe we should all go back in our minds for a minute and relive the simple joy of skipping as a child. Then remember that we are a child of God. And with the joyful feeling that makes a child want to skip, coupled with the unmatched love we feel from our Heavenly Father, we can truly rest in Him, knowing that "God's got this" whatever "this" may be.