A Little Bit More

“…I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances” (Philippians 4:11, NIV 1984).

Donna Brevens was one of the blessed ones. Her breast cancer had spread to her brain, but she has had no recurrence since 2007. She sat across from me bemoaning the hit her memory had taken from her radiation treatments. I joked with her in reply, “I’ve never had a good memory. I could have been a really good doctor if I could remember well.” This sweet Christian woman looked at me and smiled, “God will give you the memory you need for His glory.”

How often do I wish that I had just a little bit more—a little bit more memory, a little bit more money, a little bit more respect, a little bit more security, a little bit more time, a little bit more fun. My fortunes have fluctuated widely during my doctor years but the wish is always the same, “If I just had a little bit more.”

The other night my wife and I caught about 30 minutes of a Hallmark Western on TV based on a novel by the Christian author Janet Oke. Times were hard and the cattle were dying. The cowboy husband leaned from his horse over to his wife and shared the great concern that his herd was shrinking. In a matter-of-fact way, the hard working Midwestern wife stated, “God knows how big our herd should be.”

That one statement uncovered dry ground in the swamp for me. God knows how big my herd should be. God knows how much money, how smart, how handsome, how respected, how pressured, how fun my life should be. If I lean on Him and trust in Him, I’ll be exactly where He wants me, and “a little bit more” would be totally unhelpful in His plan for my life.

Dear God,
Thank you for the way you made me and sustain me. Let me use it all well for thee.
Amen