There are times I find myself struggling with being discontent. I am a stay-at-home Mom. I adore my children and I put my heart and soul into grooming them for their present life and their futures. I teach them life skills, educate them, mentor them, play with them, and protect them. Being home to care for their needs is the greatest blessing! (Right??! ) Well... It should be. And at times it truly is. However, it doesn't always feel that way. At times it can be quite exhausting and the rewards of my effort often take a long time to see. Sometimes I feel like a broken record that no one listens to and I begin to wonder if am I making any difference. Some days I feel like I’m a glorified babysitter who is eagerly waiting for the kids' bedtime to come so I can have a little selfish "me" time. I have days I wonder about my own identity and my own dreams. Maybe I should be doing something new so that I can have a better sense of accomplishment of who I am. Then I will feel better about myself... right? That’s usually where the holy spirit likes to interrupt me and remind me about being content. I believe the enemy places discontentment in our hearts to shift our focus from the priorities of what God has called us to and we start to do things for your own selfish gain. No matter what your career is, discontentment can be a major road block from living God’s best for you. When he calls us to something, he is looking for us to do it with excellence - even if we feel it is not as great as we wish it were. Perhaps you feel underpaid at work or you are embarrassed that your job carries no fancy title. Maybe you are living through some unfair circumstances. Maybe you have dreams that have been hanging over your head for years, but you see no way for them to happen due to your life's schedule. Let me ask you this question: Have you made the choice to be content in all circumstances?
Contentment basically means satisfaction; being at ease and at peace with each situation. We might even define it as being comfortable in your own skin, in who you are and all you do with your life. If we are not careful we can think it comes from wealth, personal achievement or material possessions. But contentment rarely comes from these. Paul learned this lesson. He was one of the most ambitious men in the Bible. He was driven to succeed, to excel. And he had accomplished quite a lot in his life. But he also suffered a lot as an apostle and follower of Jesus Christ. He suffered horrible beatings, shipwrecks, and being thrown in prison. Yet he could still write these words: I have learned to be content. Paul had discovered the secret of contentment. The secret was not found in life's experiences. He learned that contentment is a work of the heart and about attitude in all situations. Contentment comes from trusting God when life is unfair. Where did we get the idea that life is always fair? Life is a mixture of joy and sorrow, blessings and burdens, achievements and tragedies. It’s okay to admit that life can be unfair. When life treats us unfairly, we can choose to become bitter, angry, and depressed. We can take on the a victim's mentality, or we can place our trust in God; trusting that God will take care of us in every situation. No one can escape from an unfair world. However, we do have the choice of how we’re going to respond in the midst of it. What will our attitude be? Our quest for fairness can rob us of our contentment, unless we choose to place our trust in God even when we can’t make sense of what’s happening. Contentment begins when we realize that we can still trust God even when life isn’t fair. Contentment also comes from being certain of God when life is uncertain. We can let this uncertainty paralyze us, or we can do what Paul did and use uncertain times to let us experience the wholeness and peace in God.
Through everything Paul went through, he discovered that God knows how to take care of his children in uncertain times. God will meet all of our needs, and even let us discover a higher purpose in tragic events.
Contentment comes from living for others in the name of Christ.
Philippians 1:21 says, “For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain.”
Paul teaches us that we never truly find our life until we begin to give it away- to our children, our spouse, to someone in need, to Christ and his work.
Our flesh says that contentment comes from what we gain and get for ourselves. Christ teaches us that we find life when we give it away for others.
The self-centered life becomes empty and meaningless. True joy comes from serving others. True contentment comes from what I give to others, not what I gain for myself. Trusting God when life is unfair; being certain of God when life is uncertain, living for others in the name of Christ instead of living only for ourselves...that is the secret of contentment.
Contentment basically means satisfaction; being at ease and at peace with each situation. We might even define it as being comfortable in your own skin, in who you are and all you do with your life. If we are not careful we can think it comes from wealth, personal achievement or material possessions. But contentment rarely comes from these. Paul learned this lesson. He was one of the most ambitious men in the Bible. He was driven to succeed, to excel. And he had accomplished quite a lot in his life. But he also suffered a lot as an apostle and follower of Jesus Christ. He suffered horrible beatings, shipwrecks, and being thrown in prison. Yet he could still write these words: I have learned to be content. Paul had discovered the secret of contentment. The secret was not found in life's experiences. He learned that contentment is a work of the heart and about attitude in all situations. Contentment comes from trusting God when life is unfair. Where did we get the idea that life is always fair? Life is a mixture of joy and sorrow, blessings and burdens, achievements and tragedies. It’s okay to admit that life can be unfair. When life treats us unfairly, we can choose to become bitter, angry, and depressed. We can take on the a victim's mentality, or we can place our trust in God; trusting that God will take care of us in every situation. No one can escape from an unfair world. However, we do have the choice of how we’re going to respond in the midst of it. What will our attitude be? Our quest for fairness can rob us of our contentment, unless we choose to place our trust in God even when we can’t make sense of what’s happening. Contentment begins when we realize that we can still trust God even when life isn’t fair. Contentment also comes from being certain of God when life is uncertain. We can let this uncertainty paralyze us, or we can do what Paul did and use uncertain times to let us experience the wholeness and peace in God.
Through everything Paul went through, he discovered that God knows how to take care of his children in uncertain times. God will meet all of our needs, and even let us discover a higher purpose in tragic events.
Contentment comes from living for others in the name of Christ.
Philippians 1:21 says, “For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain.”
Paul teaches us that we never truly find our life until we begin to give it away- to our children, our spouse, to someone in need, to Christ and his work.
Our flesh says that contentment comes from what we gain and get for ourselves. Christ teaches us that we find life when we give it away for others.
The self-centered life becomes empty and meaningless. True joy comes from serving others. True contentment comes from what I give to others, not what I gain for myself. Trusting God when life is unfair; being certain of God when life is uncertain, living for others in the name of Christ instead of living only for ourselves...that is the secret of contentment.
So wherever the path of your life has brought you, I want to encourage you to choose to be content and at peace with where you are. Take pride in your position and career. Be grateful for all that you have, and don’t spend your time dwelling on the future so much that you forget to give your all in the present. Don’t focus on your failures and all the things that you are not. Rather focus on all that you are! Choose to be content.
No comments:
Post a Comment