The Secret to Infectious Contentment
Below is an excerpt of my op-ed published on Crosswalk.com. To read more, visit https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/the-secret-to-infectious-contentment.html
When I talk about what it means to have joy and contentment, I am not talking about relying on the power of positive thinking as you live out your life like The Little Engine That Could (“I think I can, I think I can”), or the many programs in books and on television about the power of positive thinking.
I am talking about the power that comes from being content with what God has already given you.
Contentment at Work
When I think about people I know who are so content with Jesus in their life they reflect the joy and love of Jesus in a way that actually infects those around them with their joy, one of those people that always comes to my mind is the Port-O-Let driver (his name is Fred) I worked within the Undercover Boss show.
I never met Fred before being assigned to him as my boss for the day on the Waste Management Undercover Boss episode, and I worked with him undercover as his helper cleaning out Port-O-Lets all day.
I have to be honest with you, when I heard I was going to have a job cleaning out Port-O-Lets all day, I thought it was going to be a long day I would not enjoy very much. I knew it would be a tough, stinky job! But honestly, that day was one of the most fun days I had of all the different jobs I did for the Undercover Boss show.
And the reason I had so much fun was because of Fred’s positive and fun attitude. He showed how a happy disposition, when you are filled with the love of Jesus Christ, can make even a stinky job fun for you and everyone around you.
I have never laughed so much while doing work. In fact, after eight hours of working with him that day, my face muscles were fatigued from laughing so much that I kept getting cramps in my face. I have never had that happen to me before!
At one point I asked Fred if he was a Christian because I could just tell there was something inside of him giving him all that joy. Fred told me he was a Christian, and he guessed I was too! We hugged each other, said a prayer together, and then just kept on working.
Jesus Christ was clearly evident in his life. Fred taught me how important it is to let that joy and contentment with what you have shine on those around you and what an impact that can have on others. It is so infectious and draws others to you because they want to know the reason for the hope that is within you.
Read more at https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/the-secret-to-infectious-contentment.html.