The Art of Contentment

I remember when I first came to Manila 16 years ago. I was walking through a park in the heat of the day and took a rest on a flattened cardboard box. A couple of kids ran towards me and I took out a picture book that was written in Tagalog. They pointed at the pictures and smiled, nodding their heads in recognition - "Jesus! Opo! Yes! Mahal ako ni Hesus. Jesus loves me."

A while later as I was leaving, I turned one last time to wave goodbye and the picture I saw has remained etched in my mind. They had unfolded the cardboard box and were setting up their clothes as pillows beneath their heads. I had been sitting on their house.

I'm not sure if orphaned kids still sleep in cardboard boxes along the streets of Manila but last week I met some boys who live in a shack along a sewerage drain just near our apartment. They were carrying two large bottles of water to their house. I tried that once with a trolley and I still struggled. It made me wonder why their father couldn't have helped. It made me wonder if they had a father.

I asked if I could take their photo and showed them - "Guapo! Handsome!" They loved that! I have about 5 photos of them posing. Every time I lifted the camera they would move into a different position, laughing.

I've been thinking about the things that help us feel satisfied in life. Is it the possessions that make us comfortable; the provision of good food; even the family and friends we hold onto? Then I remembered the kids in the drain confidently flexing their muscles for the camera and my little mates in the park celebrating our shared faith. And I felt privileged to have been 'schooled' in the art of contentment once more.