Lessons from a Dog on a Foot - Martin Wiles

Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. Luke 10:39 NLT

Of all the stores my grandfather delivered ice cream to, the one where the dog sat on my foot was my favorite. Who would have guessed I would learn lessons from a dog on a foot?

Aside from a few chain pharmacies, gas stations, and small-town grocery stores, Mom-and-Pop stores ran the retail world. Small stores owned by local people. Stores where customers could buy a little of anything, including ice cream. And my grandfather was more than happy to supply them with all the ice cream their customers could consume.

As a young boy, I enjoyed traveling from town to town and through the country, helping my grandfather stock these small stores with ice cream novelties. But the one I looked forward to the most was the one where a small dog sat on the customers’ feet.

“Where are we going next?” I’d eagerly ask on the day of the week we worked this store. Finally, my grandfather would say, “To the store where the dog sits on your foot.” As my grandfather took the store owner’s order, the dog walked over and sat on my foot. Why he did, I’m not sure. Perhaps just one of those odd habits some animals pick up as a part of their personality.

Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were Jesus’s good friends. Martha was a busy body, wanting everything to be in order. But she was a good hostess. Mary, however, loved to listen to Jesus teach, so she sat at his feet. Martha fussed about it, but Jesus reminded her that Mary had chosen the better thing.

The small dog at the store could have reared up on my leg or sat with his tail wagging, and gotten the same response from me as he did when he sat on my foot. He wanted attention from the store owner’s customers. He obviously loved people and craved petting.

Jesus wants the same from us as he did from Mary. But most of the time, we’re Marthas. We get so wrapped up in daily affairs—good things, mind you—that we forget to sit at Jesus’s feet, enjoy his company, and learn from him. There’s a better way, and Mary and the foot-sitting dog remind us of that. Time spent with the Savior is never wasted. Other things can wait. Listening to him is more important.

Find time daily to sit at the feet of Jesus.

Father, help me slow down so I can spend time sitting at your feet and learning from you.

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Satisfied - Martin Wiles

Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless—like chasing the wind. Ecclesiastes 6:9 NLT

My grandson thought a clothing tag would satisfy him more than food.

I recall when my wife introduced one of our grandsons to table food. According to medical experts, he had only reached the age for eating baby food, but baby food wasn’t doing the trick. He was a big guy and needed more sustenance. Although our daughter would have fussed had he been the first grandchild, she was more lenient with the second. She put aside many of the first-time mother concerns and discovered grandparents knew best.

Although he loved table food, even it didn’t satisfy his appetite. One day, after arriving at her house with both boys, my daughter texted a picture to me, asking if the object looked familiar. I stretched the image to determine what it was. “A clothing tag,” I mused. She had fished it out of our grandson’s mouth after he began gagging.  

Just as baby food didn’t satisfy our grandson, so King Solomon didn’t find satisfaction in anything he tried. He was the wealthiest king ever to rule over Israel and had more abundance than any other world ruler who preceded or followed him. He had the means to try it all . . . and did. But nothing satisfied. To use his phrase, Solomon said his actions were like chasing the wind.  

Human nature makes being disgruntled rather than satisfied easier. I grew up in a lower-middle-class family, so I’m not accustomed to having much. I’ve had to learn to find contentment with what I had. Doing so hasn’t been easy. Looking at and longing for what others have is simpler. Being content with what God has given me without questioning him about why I can’t have what so and so has is challenging. But if I don’t capture this longing, I’ll live in a permanent state of dissatisfaction—a miserable existence. 

Solomon advises us to enjoy what we have. Doing so doesn’t mean we shouldn’t establish goals or have desires and initiatives. Our contentment comes from knowing we are where God wants us now. Why we can’t have more opportunities or things is his decision, not ours. 

We should enjoy life by accepting what we have and looking forward to what God will give us in the future—things and opportunities included. Think about attitudes that keep you from being satisfied.

Father, teach me the art of contentment—a feeling of satisfaction that does not depend on relationships or circumstances.

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Racing Toward Satisfaction - Martin Wiles

I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. Philippians 4:12 NIV

Only one time was he content.

As our second-oldest grandson finished his first year of Cub Scouts, the time for the annual Pinewood Derby arrived. I assumed I would help him build the car—many years before Dad and I had helped my son build one. As I recall, it didn’t perform so well. I hoped for better this time around. But I didn’t have to help my grandson after all.

Our daughter now had a fiancé who spent a great deal of time with her two boys. He became the obvious choice for the task. I didn’t mind so much. After all, he knew more than I did about constructing the car, painting it, and aligning the proper weights. I let them enjoy the experience together. When my daughter texted pictures of their work in progress, I smiled. She had found someone to love her boys and our grandsons.

The big day finally arrived. My wife and I made our way to the church hosting the event—9:30 on a Saturday morning. I could have found other things to do, but our grandson needed our support. The scouts, their parents, and the scout leaders had gathered the night before to set up the aluminum track, weigh the cars, and test the cars. Everything was ready.

As race time approached, we could feel the anxiety in the room. We took our seats on the front row and waited nervously for the beginning of the race. The scout leader explained the rules. Twelve scouts had entered. Each car would race six times against different competitors. Our grandson, who typically ran around, sat still and waited for the leader to call number five—his number. He even watched closely as his friends’ car raced, picking one of the two he wanted to win.

Each of the six times, the leader called car number five, my grandson rose to his knees and looked intently as his car pummeled down the track’s steep hill and launched toward the finish line. He also gazed at the digital machine that told which car came in first and which came in second. Like his mom, he’s competitive. If his car won—and it did twice—he raised his arms in the air and whispered, “Yes.” When he lost, his countenance fell, and a touch of anger raced across his face. He only experienced satisfaction when his car won.

Paul had a rollercoaster life after God called him to serve as a missionary to the world. More down than up. Despite the challenges he faced—some life-threatening—he said he had learned to be content. Doing so took him a lifetime, but he mastered the art of satisfaction.

Almost everything in life teaches us not to be satisfied until we meet certain conditions. I must have power, possessions, pleasure, and relationships. And they must contain specific levels or characteristics. If not, I must keep pursuing until they do.

One-time presidential candidate Ross Perot said, “I’ll never be satisfied, that’s my nature. If everybody pronounces it a Swiss watch that keeps time to a thousandth of a second, I’ll be saying-well, how do we make it keep time to another thousandth of a second? That’s just my nature.”

We learn satisfaction by experience. As I get things, I eventually discover I crave more or different things. They tear up, break down, get stolen or misplaced, or don’t bring the joy they did when I first got them.

The pleasure that came with power when I first received it dims over time. I remember how I felt the first time I landed a supervisor position. My head swelled, my shoulders arched, my back straightened, and my attitude changed. However, after a few months, I discovered that many headaches accompanied the power. What I thought would satisfy didn’t.

And how much have I spent on play toys? Not as much as some, but enough to take me into debt more times than I care to remember. As when I was a child receiving new gifts, the newness wore off after a while. I tossed them, sold them, gave them away—and bought more.

Satisfaction is a state of mind—a perspective we choose. Paul discovered satisfaction did not depend on his circumstances or what he had or didn’t have. Satisfaction depended on whom he knew. Before knowing Christ, he knew religion. He had been trained in the most prestigious schools. But all that disappointed him. Only knowing Christ and serving Him satisfied.

We can’t attain this level of satisfaction on our own. Without God’s help, we’ll keep running after the wrong things and throw our hands up in disgust every time our car doesn’t win the race or we see a car that looks better than ours.

With God’s help, however, we can learn what Paul did: contentment comes with knowing someone. When this is in place, we’ll enjoy all aspects of life. Whatever comes our way, we’ll know it originated from God—and He loves us and gives us only what is best.

Let God teach you the art of satisfaction.

Father, I look to You to find the true satisfaction I seek. 

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Walk-on Wednesday - Living with Contentment - Martin Wiles

Welcome to Walk-on Wednesday. By Hump Day, we are struggling, but we believe a good devotion can strengthen us to finish the week strong. 

Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” Hebrews 13:5 NLT

Marvin was a discontented kind of guy.

If he didn’t have the latest cell phone, he would immediately purchase it when it came out. Other electronic gadgets intrigued him as well. He always had the latest television, video game, computer, iPad, etc. After two years of owning any vehicle, he was tired of it. Trade in time. Homes didn’t grow on him too long either. He’d never stayed in one long enough to pay off his mortgage. He didn’t fare any better in relationships. He’d been through three marriages, a string of almost marriages, and was presently working on his fourth. No woman seemed to satisfy him for very long. Contentment wasn’t in Marvin’s vocabulary.

Being satisfied with what we have is a tough directive. How can we tune out all those enticements to try this, buy this, rent this, or trade this? If we’re not spending money, then someone wants us to invest it. Money must enter any conversation about contentment because money is what our economy is based on. We can’t pay the doctor with chickens or offer to cut his grass in exchange for an office visit or surgery on our big toe.

Despite money’s prominent place—and society’s attempt to keep us focused on it—we can learn contentment. The saying, “Less is more” provides one key to contentment. We don’t have to heed the common message that only by having more will we be happy. What God has given us, he also wants me to share. And we don’t have to wait until we have an abundance to do so. He can take little and make much. Rather than listening to media sources that remind us how much and what we don’t have, we can focus on being happy with what God has given us. He knows what and how much we can handle responsibly.

Are you content with what God has given you?

Prayer: Father, help us to know the contentment that comes from trusting You fully.

Tweetable: Are you living with contentment? 

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Meandering Monday - Sin’s Temporary Pleasure - Martin Wiles

Welcome to Meandering Monday, where we take a trip back to an earlier post and enjoy it again.

He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. Hebrews 11:25 NLT

My childhood was no different than most.

Parents and grandparents bought me toys for birthdays and Christmas and sometimes for no special occasion. Most were probably something I had pointed at when I was small or told them I wanted when I was older. Things I thought would bring me pleasure . . . perhaps even for a long time. As with most children, the new wore off quickly. Soon, I tucked my toy away in a closet, stored it in a trunk, or sold it at a yard sale. I moved on to something else.

Becoming an adult hasn’t changed the scenario a great deal. I still see things I think will bring me great enjoyment. As my childhood toys did, they all failed me. The pleasure is momentary, and soon I’ve discarded them for something else.

As a child, Moses was snatched from his childhood tent home and deposited in the grand palace of a foreign king. The riches of Egypt were at his disposal—riches that brought with them a sinful lifestyle. When he matured and recognized who he was, he left the sinful pleasures behind and identified with the oppression his people experienced as slaves.

God isn’t against me enjoying the pleasurable things of this world, but he does expect me to stay away from those that are sinful. Satan has a long history of taking innocent things and dressing them up in sinful wrappings. The fruit Eve ate in the Garden of Eden wasn’t sinful; the act of disobeying God’s command to eat it was.

Things that are outright and obviously sinful don’t usually concern us. Rather, it’s the momentary and innocent pleasurable things we struggle with. The newest smartphone. The latest laptop. The most up-to-date iPad or video game. Things that in the short run provide pleasure but that overall steal our attention from what God has in mind for us.

Sin promises a lifetime of pleasure but only delivers short-term benefits. What do you need to put aside so God can give you something better?

Prayer: Father, may we use everything we have to glorify and serve You. 

Tweetable: Are temporary pleasures failing you? 

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Be Content - Martin Wiles

Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. Philippians 4:11 NLT

A simple water show stopped him in his tracks.

Our daughter surprised my wife and me with a vacation to Myrtle Beach, SC. Being the planner that she is, she had every day planned with things our two grandsons would enjoy. 

The day before we came home, we were to visit Broadway on the Beach. Our destination was a dinosaur museum. We watched with delight the smiles on our grandsons’ faces as they watched the mechanical life-sized dinosaurs move about, making the sounds the designers imagined dinosaurs made. 

When our tour was over, we went to a favorite fast-food restaurant where we enjoyed music and singing and dancing by the waiters and waitresses. On the way out of the park, our grandsons’ attention was captured by a small water pad where spouts of water danced about in different shapes. Nothing we had seen thus far held their attention as this. They were content to stand and watch it do its programmed tricks and were sad when we told them it was time to go.

The apostle Paul had it all and he had nothing. From a well-to-do religious leader to a Christian zealot who was hounded by the same type of persons he once was. From death threats to shipwrecks, he had seen it all. But he wasn’t worried or anxious. He had learned what I struggle with: contentment.

While Paul had joy in all circumstances, he wasn’t happy about all circumstances. There is a difference. Happiness is determined by my circumstances or what I have or don’t have. Joy is a state of being.

To have happiness I must have things or my circumstances must always be pleasant. To have joy, I merely need a relationship with Christ. When I have Him, I learn to appreciate every little thing I have. Joy is present in good times and in bad times, in abundant times and in sparse times.

During His earthly life, Jesus had little. He grew up as a carpenter and later wandered from town to town as a traveling preacher, teacher, healer, and friend. He had no place to lay His head. But He was content because He was doing His Father’s will.

Learn to be content by finding joy in your relationship with God. When you do, anything else will be a blessing that brings happiness.

Tweetable: Have you learned the art of contentment?

Prayer: Father, teach us the art of contentment. 

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The Key to Satisfaction - Martin Wiles

He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. Ephesians 4:16 NLT

One chose to stay on the farm; the other chose city life.

When my mom was a junior in high school, she chose to leave her family farm and marry my dad. Her new life would take her away from her country upbringing and plant her in cities for the remainder of her life. Mom’s sister married a Navy man but chose to build their home next to her parent’s and remain on the family farm—a place she stayed until her death.

The old homeplace was sold for a negligent amount—and it seemed the same would happen to my aunt’s home. But her oldest son stepped in and decided he and his wife would make it their retirement home. All the hunting, fishing, and golf he could stand. It’s refreshing to know the home will remain in the family.

I always envied my cousins, growing up with open land all around them. Hunting, fishing, romping through the woods. Having pets wasn’t a problem. Leash laws didn’t exist. Being able to raise chickens, cows, hogs, and anything else they wanted without having to wonder where they’d put them or if the smell would offend the neighbors. They lived a very carefree down-to-earth lifestyle. 

Because Mom and Dad chose the city life, I had to endure it as well. Though it has its conveniences, I still miss the open land and the perks that come with country living. 

I’ve also been known to envy those God is using in ways I wish He’d use me. Paul reminded the early believers that the church was like a body. Each part has a special function, and it is fitted together perfectly. When one piece is out of whack, the entire body is affected. 

Curbing my jealousy is an ongoing lesson God is teaching me. Instead of envying what He is doing in other believer’s lives, I enjoy what He’s doing in mine and rejoice in what He’s doing in theirs. I’m not in competition but in cahoots with other believers. 

Our job is not to fuss and fight but to work together to accomplish God’s work in this world. He gives us unique opportunities and personalities. Even when I share the same gift as another person, I will use it differently. 

Rather than envying someone else’s gift, use yours to fulfill God’s plan for you.

Prayer: Father, thank You for giving us unique gifts, personalities, and opportunities. May we use them faithfully in Your service. 

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Satisfied - Martin Wiles

Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless—like chasing the wind. Ecclesiastes 6:9 NLT

I suppose my grandson thought a clothing tag would satisfy him more than food.

I remember when my wife introduced our middle grandson to table food. According to medical experts, he had only reached the age for eating baby food, but baby food simply wasn’t doing the trick. He’s a big guy and needed more sustenance. Though our daughter would have fussed had he been the first grandchild, she was now the mother of two and had put aside many of the first-time mother concerns. She discovered grandparents knew best.

Though Colton loved table food, evidently even it didn’t satisfy his appetite. One day, after arriving at her house with both the boys, my daughter texted a picture to me asking if the object looked familiar. I stretched the picture to determine what it was. A clothing tag, I mused. She had fished it out of Colton’s mouth after he began gagging.  

Just as baby food didn’t satisfy our grandson, so King Solomon didn’t find satisfaction in anything he tried. He was the wealthiest king ever to rule over Israel and had more abundance that any other world ruler who preceded or followed him. He had the means to try it all…and did. But nothing satisfied. To use his phrase, his actions were like chasing the wind.
  
Human nature makes being disgruntled rather than satisfied easier. I grew up in a lower middle-class family, so I’m not accustomed to having much. I’ve had to learn to find contentment with what I had. 

Doing so hasn’t been easy. Looking at and longing for what others have is simpler. Being content with what God has given me without questioning Him about why I can’t have what so and so has is challenging. But if I don’t capture this longing, I’ll live in a permanent state of dissatisfaction—a miserable existence. 

Solomon’s advice is to enjoy what we have. This doesn’t mean I shouldn’t establish goals or have desires and initiatives. My contentment comes from knowing I’m where God wants me at the present moment. Why I can’t have more opportunities or things is a decision He makes, not me. 

I’ve decided I’ll enjoy life by accepting what I have presently and by looking forward to what God will give me in the future—things and opportunities included. 

What attitudes are keeping you from experiencing satisfaction?

Prayer: Father, teach us the art of contentment—a feeling of satisfaction that does not depend on relationships or circumstances. 

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