| 1 Timothy 6:6-8 – “But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.” |
Children struggle with words. Two that are especially problematic are want and need.
Looking at the toy shelves in Target, they get confused. Instead of saying, “I want that,” the language is “I need that.”
Adults are not much different. We pack our days with tasks and duties and then take great pride in complaining about “how busy we are.”
Perhaps we need to heed the example of the men in the balloon.
Jules Verne wrote a story called The Mysterious Island. It was set in a prison camp during the Civil War. Five men hatched a daring plot to escape by hijacking a hot air balloon.
Soon, they found themselves at the mercy of the winds which were blowing them toward the ocean. As hours passed, their vision of land grew thin.
On top of that, they began to lose altitude. They had to do something.
Since they had no way to heat the air, their only option was to start throwing things over the side of the basket.
Shoes, coats, and weapons splashed into the water below and sank quickly.
But it only slowed their descent. But it seemed there was nothing else. Then, they realized, they had food. And it was jettisoned as well. It was better to be hungry than drowned.
But the balloon gathered no altitude. What to do? Finally, one of the men came up with an idea. Four ropes held the basket. If they tied the ropes together, they could hang on and throw the basket into the sea. They had no choice and watched the floor on which they stood fall free.
But now, the balloon was rising again. And then, one spotted a small patch of land. With time running out, they jumped into the water and swam to the island.
Their lives were saved, not because of their bravery but because they learned what they could live without.
Paul winnows down life to a fine nub. He might ask us, “What do you need?” Our list might be long, and we would start crossing things off. But then he would ask us, “Now, what do you really need?” What’s left on your list?
Paul would know. “But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.” (1 Timothy 6:6–8). No one enters the world in fine clothes. And no matter their station in life, they leave under a cheap white sheet.
So, in our lives, we need to winnow down our desires and our to-do lists. What do you really need?
- Robert G. Taylor
- RobertGTaylor.com
