A lesson from a poem
Mornings fascinate me. Many bike trips began in the dark of 4 AM, not just to get an early start, but to watch the day slowly come alive. On a recent vacation to beachside Carlsbad, I woke up early, and a little before 7 AM, took my coffee and a fried egg to our patio on the third story, overlooking the grassy courtyard, the pool, and the paths that meandered throughout. Normally crowded, the pool and courtyard featured just one worker. In that stillness, the classic Cat Stevens song “Morning has Broken” came to mind, and I wrote a brief haiku poem as I sipped coffee #1:
Morning has broken
at the Carlsbad ocean
peaceful before crowds
I liked its simplicity, but something gnawed at me, this concept had more depth that I wanted to explore. I couldn’t let it stay here. So coffee #2 led to an extended free verse poem:
Morning has broken here in Carlsbad
a few scattered walkers at the patio of the Inn
two workers with last touches of preparing for the crowds
the quiet hum of the nearby Pacific Coast Highway
the sun softly pushing back the darkness
sporadic whistles of the Coaster train that splits this city
the roofing workers not yet arrived with their cacophony
and all feels right with the world
for now
No claims to great poetry, but a significant spiritual lesson struck me: contentment isn’t always a virtue—not if it keeps us from probing more deeply, of continuing the process of thinking and exploring and creating. Yes, contentment is a biblical principle, “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you’” (Hebrews 13:5). Does that kill ambition and the yearning to learn and grow? Not at all.
Scripture here primarily refers to money, that we choose contentment over loving material stuff, because God’s presence has far more worth than anything material. We can’t always control the former, but we can cherish and nurture the latter.
Godly ambition is fine, “Each one should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him. Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so” (1 Corinthians 7:20-21).
If the default setting of our lives and values is to value God above all, to let him be the hub of the wheel from which all our interests radiate outward, then our ambitions are godly.
Sometimes, what we call contentment merely accepts mediocrity. God wants us to study, to deepen our lives, to refine our spiritual skills, to continue growing, “Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15, revised KJV).
So go beyond haiku. Apply yourself. Use your talents and energy and mind. Never stop learning.
Kick Starting the Application
Do you intentionally develop yourself, under the umbrella of faith? Are you sometimes content with mediocrity? Do you fully use the gifts you have?