Thoughts On Contentment

Philippians 4:6 “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”

It feels like years since I last posted here; it very well might be nearing one year since I actually did post. As I look back on the biggest I have thought about, been taught about, and struggled with it is the idea of contentment. A lot of pray fervently for God’s plan for our life to be accomplished and realized in our lives. Yet, we simply don’t want to travel the path to get there. The funny thing about this, however, is that the road to “there” is the plan. The path traveled is what shapes the person we are. Through trials and joys our character begins to shape. We embark on the road towards eternity; it is not a destination, it is about continually striving to become like this Jesus. We pray to be like Jesus, yet the process rarely pans out in the manner we wish it to.

When reading through the book of Philippians we discover the story of a man named Paul who experienced quite the journey. God’s will for his life brought him to incredible lows and incredible highs. From jail, to having no home, to experiencing God move in ways we never thought possible. Paul understood what meant to live in the restful shadow of God’s presence. One of my favorite church sign posts I have seen read “Can’t sleep at night? Count your blessings.” There is incredible insight into this statement. Life is about attitude. A recent Google commercial states “The web is what you make it.” I would argue that “Life is how you look at it.”

Paul understood that attitude and perspective are key to contentment. When we remember what God has done in our lives, for our lives, the world suddenly looks different. I recall many sleepless nights where I pleaded that my not look like what it was appearing to look like. What changed? It certainly wasn’t my circumstance, it was the way I looked at my life. I realized that God has blessed me in ways I never could have managed. He has been shaping me into the man that I have pleaded with Him to shape me into. I have so many great things in life; despite all of it I can rest in the knowledge that I will always have the greatest of blessings; the never ending grace and love of my Lord Jesus. What has been done for me can never be taken away and I have been promised pure happiness…forever!

What greater peace can we rest in and find joy in than the knowledge that a place has been prepared for us. A place where unimaginable happiness exists; a place where we spend eternity in the direct presence and relationship of God. There is no greater gift. No greater source of hope. In this I find contentment. In this I find rest. The rest…that’s just details. Here’s to the inner peace only found in the knowledge and truth of the gospel.