Through Gratitude into Contentment

September 19, 2025 // Optional Memorial of Saint Januarius, Bishop and Martyr

Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: 1 Timothy 6:2c-12

Reflect on the Word // 

I can’t wait to graduate.

I can’t wait to get a better job.

I can’t wait to get married.

I can’t wait to get pregnant.

I can’t wait for the baby to be born.

I can’t wait until she starts sleeping through the night.

I can’t wait . . .

One summer, we took our little daughters on a road trip around Lake Michigan. Starting in Chicago, we drove up to visit family in northern Wisconsin and then spent a few days hiking in the beautiful Upper Peninsula of Michigan. While standing in the woods together beholding the majestic roar and crash of Tahquamenon Falls, I turned to my husband and said, “I wish we could do more things like this in the summer. We always go to Traverse City. Why don’t we go anywhere else?” He looked at me quizzically and said, “We are! Right now, we are doing it.” 

I stopped short, chastened. Finally, I realized my mistake. I was letting my life slip by me, constantly living in my desire for the future, for more, for something other than the present. Each time I achieved the thing I thought I couldn’t wait for, the goal line jumped ahead and I started pressing toward something different.

In today’s First Reading, Saint Paul tells us that we grow in holiness when we are content, saying “we brought nothing into the world, just as we shall not be able to take anything out of it” (1 Timothy 6:6). Another way of thinking about this: We have nothing but the present moment. We do not possess the past, and we cannot predict when our lives will be over. Our entire lives are lived inside of what we experience today. It has taken me a long time to curb my tendency to rush toward what’s ahead. I still fall into the temptation to focus too much on the future. But all my progress has been in the cultivation of gratitude. All the virtues Saint Paul mentions in verse 11—”righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness”—are aided by gratitude. And they can all only be practiced right now, today. 

Relate to the Lord // Make a list of what you’re grateful for today. Thank the Lord!

About Elizabeth Blanke Show

View other posts from the author

Elizabeth Blanke Show is a remarried widow and mama to seven beautiful kiddos. She is passionate about creating community, and loves gathering people to share meals and music in her home. She also loves spending time in nature and exploring new places. You can find her on Instagram @elizaraxi.