There was a time when contentment meant sipping coffee – or maybe a beer – on the porch and waving to the neighbors passing by. Then again, for the go-getters, it's relaxing after a successful day at the office.

It seems that contentment has changed. Relaxation is for goof-offs, slackers, underachievers. Real contentment is the thrill of competition, fighting for an elusive but attainable goal and knowledge that one has beaten the odds and has come out on top. Now, I am behind the desk! Now, I am the boss! I may be on the edge of heart attack city, but it's worth it.

Ah, there is always a price to pay. "I'd do it again!" "What in the world have I done?" "I wish I was back in my old job."

There is a remarkable story in the tenth chapter of Mark about a blind man by the name of Bartimaeus. He cries out to Jesus, "Help me!" And surprisingly, Jesus asks, "What do you want from me?"

The man's blind and needs his sight. For heaven's sake, Jesus, give him his vision. Whoa!

Maybe Bartimaeus was very satisfied being blind. He was blind from birth, used to it. Perhaps he wanted Jesus to clarify a fine point of the law. How about being wealthy?

Let's don't forget our gift of free choice. Jesus asked the right question. "What do you really, really want?"

Let us use our imaginations. Here is a man who probably used every other sense to find his way around his world. He would know where he was by sounds or smells. He would recognize parts of the city by the cries of vendors hawking their wares or he might smell certain fruits or perfumes. He would know his friends and his enemies by their voices or the sound of their footsteps. He could touch the walls of the city and feel the cobblestones or the way the land sloped and know exactly how far he was from his home. Maybe, just maybe.

Then, along comes Jesus and without warning, gives him his sight. Now what is Bartimaeus to do? To survive this new world, he must learn colors, landmarks, hundreds of faces and what their expressions mean. His life may suddenly become a nightmare.

Nothing is worth having if it brings terror, confusion or chaos.

Let's hear the question, think about it and then begin the process of thinking one step at a time.

"What do you really, really want?"

"Give me the wisdom of Solomon, the long life of Methuzalah, the vision of Paul. Oh, and You might as well throw in the wealth of Solomon." Make your own list.

The key is in that gospel of Mark. Bartimaeus asked for sight. However, here is the most important lesson. "And immediately, he received his sight and followed Jesus."

He didn't have the slightest idea what to do with this miraculous gift. He had to have someone tell him not only what he was seeing, but what else could be seen, interpreted and enjoyed. He needed Jesus to teach him how to use what he now possessed. What good is any gift if we have no concept of its worth or value?

True contentment? The knowledge of a job well done, living a life to the fullest, realizing why we have been put on this earth and perhaps because there is one more opportunity to set things right.

I believe that contentment is knowing who I am, what I am and accepting the fact that God lives in me in spite of my shortcomings, misgivings, failures and mistakes.

There are a lot of folks out there who need a kind word, a good deed, a gentle touch or one selfless act.

Ah, that's contentment!

Thanks, God!