What Do You Want?

I was at a Bebo Norman concert last fall, and it was really a great show. It was just an acoustic set, but the music was good and Bebo had some good stories to tell. In case you haven't figured it out by now, I always like hearing good stories, because I like to retell them.

Anyway, he was giving Compassion International (they do lots of great stuff---check out their website) a plug when he told this quick little story. I really liked it, and whenever I tell it, I always throw in a few extra details here and there, but the spirit of the story is the same.

Before you read the story, think of something that you want. Don't think too hard about it---just think of something that you'd like to have right now. It can be something simple, like a can of pop or a candy bar. Keep that thing in the back of your mind . . . you'll see why later.

A team of short-term missionaries went to do some humanitarian work in a small village in rural Africa. The team was equipped with medical supplies, food, construction materials, and other things to help modernize the village, which was far from modern.

There was no electricity. There was no running water. There was no mail service, no telephone lines, and no Internet. The village consisted of a few dozen simple, one-room grass huts, and the villagers lived the same way their ancestors had lived. The men hunted for animals on the savanna and the women tended to their gardens, and the children played with simple, homemade toys.

The villagers, who had already been reached by a previous team of missionaries, were all believers and welcomed the missionaries as brothers and sisters in Christ. The entire village did what they could to make the missionaries comfortable and shared all they had with their fellow Christians. One of the elders of the village, Ngobo, and John, the leader of the missionary team, however, bonded particularly well.

Perhaps it was because Ngobo spoke some English and John spoke some of the elder's native language, or perhaps it was because both men were leaders. Whatever the reason, the two men became very close friends. They spent so much time together that they were like brothers. Ngobo's wife and children had grown very attached to John, and John had grown close to them as well. 

The night before John and his team were scheduled to fly back to the United States, Ngobo invited John over to his hut for a farewell meal. John was flattered by Ngobo's hospitality. For a man that had very little, he was very generous with what he had. The feast that his wife prepared was a meal fit for a king. There's at least a week's worth of food here, John thought. They'll probably have to skip a meal or two next week to make up for this.

After dinner, John and Ngobo went for a walk on the savanna. As they watched the sun set in a brilliant blaze of orange and red, John turned to his friend and said, "Ngobo, you've been so gracious to me, and your villagers have been so generous. I wanted to thank you for all you've done." Ngobo smiled and said, "John, my brother, we are all one family in Christ. We have been blessed so much, and we wanted to share our blessings with you."

John was astonished by Ngobo's reply. How could a man who has so little be so happy with what he has? And so generous? There must be something I can do to repay his kindness. There must be something . . .

The two men were quiet for several minutes before John spoke again. "Ngobo, I'm flying back to America tomorrow, but Lord willing, I'm going to get another missionary team together and I'll be back next year. You've given me so much, and I want to give you something in return. Is there anything you want, Ngobo? Just name it, and I'll bring it for you when I come back."

Ngobo politely refused John's offer, but John insisted. "I mean it, Ngobo. I'd really like to get something for you. You're like family to me." Ngobo said nothing for several minutes, but from the look on his face, John could tell that he was deep in thought.

Ngobo finally said, "I'm sorry, brother John, but I could think of nothing I want." Shocked, John replied, "What? Why . . . Why not? There's nothing you want? Nothing at all?"

Ngobo smiled and when he spoke, the contentment in his voice was clear. "I have my family, and I have my hut. I have my village, and I have my God. What man could want any more than that?"

*     *     *     *     *

I don't know what you wanted before you read the story, but do you still want it now? I'll be the first one to admit that I have no problem keeping a long list of things that I want. In light of the story, though, all of the things on my list lose their luster. Stories like this one really make you think, don't they?

By our standards, Ngobo had next to nothing---single-room grass huts don't exactly qualify as prime real estate in America. Ngobo, on the other hand, felt that he was richly blessed, so much so that he felt compelled to share his blessings with John and his missionary team. He was so satisfied with what little he genuinely struggled with the concept of wanting something.

Ngobo didn't feel like he deserved a larger house and he wasn't upset that his village didn't have running water. He didn't want fancier clothes or a new pair of sandals. He didn't want a sharper spear or a hunting rifle. He was content with what God had given him, and he considered himself blessed.

I think we could all learn a lesson from Ngobo. We have houses with running water, electricity, and air conditioning, and yet we never seem to have enough space. We have computers and wireless Internet, but nothing is ever fast enough to satisfy us. We have flat-panel TVs and cable, but we can never find anything to watch. We have so much more than the rest of the world, but we're never content.

Isn't it sad that people who have so little consider themselves blessed, while people like us---who have so much---feel deprived? It seems to me that oftentimes, we get caught up in the pursuit of more stuff that we forget to be thankful for all the blessings we already have. We take things that other people in the world don't have---like food, clothing, and shelter---for granted, because we're obsessed with the newest video game, or the coolest cell phone, or whatever.

There's nothing wrong with having cool stuff, and there's nothing wrong with having a lot of it either. The problem arises when we forget to be thankful for all of our stuff. In James 1:17, we read that all good things come from the Father, and in Matthew 10:29-31, we find that God provides for all of our needs. It only makes sense that we should take the time to thank God for all that He's given us.

Today is Thanksgiving, and as the name implies, Thanksgiving is about giving thanks. Make a special point of giving God praise for all the blessings He's given you. Try to be like Ngobo. Don't get caught up in your wants and desires; take time to reflect on all you already have and be thankful.

I'd like to top things off with a passage from Psalms. It seems like a fitting passage for the holiday, and while it's short, it has a good message. Check it out:

Psalm 100

A psalm. For giving thanks.

"Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations." (NIV)

For all of you folks that read my blog on a regular basis, I'm thankful for all of you and your kind comments. Thanks for always coming back and reading my stuff---it means a lot to me. Enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday, and don't forget to give thanks!

"Count your many blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord hath done."

- Johnson Oatman, Jr.