Contentment

I have had it on my heart lately to write about my struggle with contentment. Strike that. I've struggled with contentment lately and I always feel better after writing out my thoughts.

Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. -Phil. 4:11

Am I the only one that feels completely convicted when I read this verse?

I mean, if anyone is allowed to complain about life or struggles as a Christian, isn't it Paul? Just read 2 Corinthians 11 where he talks about the beatings, stoning, shipwrecks, inprisonment, etc he had endured. And yet in Philippians, he actually says he has learned to be content.

It probably doesn't come naturally to most of us.. this idea of contentment. Nobody wants to be unhappy or in distress in some way.

But the reality is that life will not always go our way. See there is this tendency as humans to think that we have life figured out when times are good.

"We worked hard to get where we are at."

We tend to take credit for our successes.

But then.. the fall happens. We work hard and still fail.

And we realize we are not in control of our circumstances. Not really, anyway.

I had one such realization at a critical time in my life where I just felt I couldn't take the stresses anymore. I felt I had been emptied of everything within my control and was just drowning in the waves.

It was not such a "happy" time. But I did realize something. God has a purpose for everything. Just as Paul may not have known at the time why so many things were happening to him.. God used his experiences to teach countless others even 2000 years later how to keep the right perspective and learn this great quality of contentment.

And in my own life, the times I have been down have served as a teacher to help me learn valuable lessons for my future. I can either learn from the past or I can continue to repeat it.

So as I still struggle from time to time with being content in whatever circumstance I may find myself in, I remind myself of the example we see in Paul.

He knew there were bigger things at play. And I should remember this too.

No matter if life is going great or going bad, I am still not in control. But God..

God is. And I'm so very thankful for that. There is peace inside when you surrender to His plan. And that's the start of finding Godly contentment and the great gain that it is for our soul.

Keep overcoming friends!