Friday, 21 October was World Student Day. I spent the afternoon walking around in Gent and praying. I saw lots of students. At one point I sat on a bench between the river and “het Groot Vleeshuis.” Only a few people passed me by, so it was a nice place for reflection and prayer. Directly across from me was a very nice restaurant. Its appearance was very chic with its floor to ceiling glass walls and fantastic view of the river (rather, a view I assume is fantastic because I have never been in the restaurant). I noticed below the restaurant two carpenters enjoying their lunch. I just managed to catch them in a photograph as they returned to their work. Their view was equally spectacular and there was no glass in the way. As I sat there more tourist boats passed me than pedestrians. And each time a boat went by all eyes turned not to the historic Vleeshuis, but to the restaurant.

I had an interesting realization. I envied the people in the restaurant. I would love to go into restaurants with no thought to the cost, simply ordering what pleases my eye. But I also envied the carpenters—enjoying a well-deserved lunch break, eating a sandwich in that fine location, and putting the cares of the world behind them for a moment.

We live in a world where some people enjoy expensive restaurants while others work as waiters, or cooks, or the carpenters who repair the building. And still others have no job and don’t know where they will find their next meal. Our culture and our education system (both in the U.S. and in Belgium) often cause us to think that our studies are a means to a lucrative career.

In Philippians chapter four Paul writes about contentment. The church in Philippi sent him a gift. It was meaningful to him because he knew of their economic struggles in difficult times. But he assured them “…I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. 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. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

As you begin your studies this year may the Lord bless you with this contentment.