Contentment is not Situational or Circumstantial
(Inspired by Carlos Santiago’s Take Up Your Cross devotional)
“I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, Who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:12-13 NLT
“The reward for trusting Him will be the salvation of your souls.” 1 Peter 1:9 NLT
I can admit that I’ve been guilty believing that if I just had a little more—money, discipline, knowledge, skills, support—my concerns would be over and I would be content. However, it seemed that no amount of money, friends, skills and knowledge or “success” eradicated my concerns or brought me real contentment. In some cases, I found myself striving for even more of what I thought I was missing. Have you ever found yourself unsatisfied and not thrilled with life regardless of whether the “stars were aligned”?
If I wasn’t concerned over finances then it was health, and if it wasn’t health it was family and relationships. It was a never-ending cycle I couldn’t seem to get ahead of and I wanted off the merry-go-round.
I’ve said before that God doesn’t promise us a life of cherries and cream, but will give us peace for the journey, and we will be the better for it in the end if we can just breathe and stay the course.
You all know that “life be lifing” in all of its messy, challenging, and unpredictable ways, with all of its overwhelming circumstances, stress, and curveballs; and no one is exempt. That’s why the Bible admonishes us to be content no matter the circumstance.
For me, learning to be content meant realizing that God was the one supplying my needs—all of them! He was the One I could trust in, not other people, my job, the size of my paycheck or even my “good genes”.
Now let me be clear, I have not mastered this contentment thing—I slip from time to time, but what I do know is “when we learn to take our eyes off our circumstance or situation and place them on the Christ, we can experience tranquility in any and every situation.”
Prayer: Lord, help me to remember that You are my source and the pilot of my life; that my view and my knowledge are limited so I cannot see everything You’re doing. Help me to Trust, Delight, Commit
and Rest (TDCR) in You so that I can find contentment in every circumstance. Your peace rivals no other and God, You are Enough! For that Lord Jesus, I thank You!
Love You All to Life! ❤️
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