The Sage’s Wisdom: Yesterday’s Prayers, Today’s Complaints
By Kateb Nuri-Alim Shunnar
One of the most eye-opening lessons I ever learned came from a sage, a man who carried wisdom like it was stitched into his very being.
One day, I asked him, "What do you think happiness is?"
He chuckled, shook his head, and said, "You’re asking the wrong question. I don’t even talk about happiness. That’s fleeting. I look for peace. I look for contentment."
Then he leaned in, lowering his voice like he was about to hand me a secret worth more than gold. "Pause for a moment and ask yourself how many of the things you have now were once the very things you begged for?"
That hit me. Hard.
I sat there, thinking. The job I complain about? I once prayed for the opportunity. The home I grumble about maintaining? There was a time I would’ve given anything just to have a roof I could call my own. And that car that seems to need an oil change every time I turn around? Once upon a time, I stared at it in magazines, daydreaming about the moment it would be mine.
But the one that really got me?
"And that person you can’t stand talking to today? The one who pushes your buttons? There was a time you prayed they’d even notice you. You longed for their attention, waited by the phone, hoped for a text back. And now?"
Whew. If that wasn’t a reality check, I don’t know what is.
And that’s when I heard my mother, Marva, in my head.
She never let me get away with ungratefulness. If I so much as sighed about something I had once wanted, she’d hit me with that look the one that made me question all my life choices. Then she’d say, "Boy, don’t play with God. You better thank Him before He reminds you what it feels like to have nothing."
And my grandmother, Celestine? She had a softer way of teaching, but her lessons cut just as deep. If I started whining about something I once chased after, she’d shake her head, laugh, and say, "Baby, ever seen a dog finally catch a car? Poor thing don’t even know what to do with it once it’s got it."
That’s us. Always running after something, thinking it’ll fill us up. And then, when we finally have it? We get used to it. We forget what it felt like to long for it. And suddenly, we’re complaining about the very thing we once saw as a blessing.
But here’s the truth the sage was right. Happiness is a moving target. It’s here one moment, gone the next. But peace? Contentment? That comes from seeing what’s right in front of you. From realizing that the life you’re living today is one you used to pray for.
So now, whenever I catch myself grumbling, I pause. I breathe. And I remember. I hear Marva’s warning. I see Celestine’s knowing smile. And I let gratitude do its work.
The background tells a story of past dreams becoming reality: a classic car and a cozy home stand as reminders of what was once wished for and is now a part of life. The golden light of the setting sun wraps around them, emphasizing peace, love, and the beauty of appreciating what we have.
This image embodies a profound spiritual lesson recognizing and cherishing the blessings that once existed only in our dreams.
Rremember that what we compliant about today we once prayed for it........
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