I’ve been thinking about ‘contentment’. We have just come out of a busy season of the Fall Feasts (Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot) and all that goes along with them. What JOY was experienced in the celebrations! And now there is a short season of quiet before the next season of craziness begins. (You know what I mean!)
The journey of life is filled with seasons of highs and lows, ups and downs, moving forward and slipping backward, and feeling positive emotions that elevate us as well as negative emotions that bring us down. If we lived at a ‘high’ all the time, how exhausted would we be? Wouldn’t we eventually become immune to the feelings and emotions associated with ‘high’ times? And the opposite of that, would we become so complacent in the ‘low’ times that we don’t even want to try to move forward? What is the significance of moments would we experience if all of life were the same?
Life well lived is made up of both highs and lows, fast-paced, slow-paced, striving, and relaxing. The up and down, fast and slow, of this journey of life is important so that we have time to prepare for what lies ahead. There are just a few short weeks left in the Christian Year of Ordinary Time before a new year begins! I want to relish the calm in the next few weeks of Ordinary.
I think this is where ‘contentment’ comes in. The Apostle Paul speaks to being content in whatever situation he finds himself. “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances. I know how to survive in tight situations, and I know how to enjoy having plenty. In fact…I can be content in any and every situation through the Anointed One who is my power and strength (Phil 4:11-13). Contentment begins in the mind and heart. It is knowing who is really in charge.
Being content means being thankful for what I have and not wanting what I don’t. My life has changed dramatically in the last four years in ways that I would never have imagined. But through all the changes I know that God has been at work in the events of my life to make me more dependent on him. As a result, I now find myself engaging in opportunities that might never have come my way had previous events not happened. Out of something that I perceived as bad turned into something good (I can relate to the story of Joseph). The Apostle Paul was speaking about his personal situation to his friends in Philippi, relating to them that no matter what his personal situation, he was content with his life because he knew that God was on his side.
The Apostle Paul also exhorted his protégé, Timothy, by instructing him, “…godliness, along with contentment, does put us ahead but not in the ways some imagine. You see we came into this world with nothing and nothing is going with us on the way out! So as long as we are clothed and fed, we should be happy. But those who chase riches are constantly falling into temptation and snares…dragged down into ruin and destruction (1 Tim 6:6-9).
Our spiritual journey is our life journey if we walk are walking with God, trusting and resting in him and on his promises.
Along with contentment is rest. If we are content, we can also experience rest. Not the napping kind of rest but rest in knowing who we are and whose we are! Mental and emotional rest! Life is a journey, not just a series of events! Contentment is a mindset. Rest begins in the mind. Not rethinking every conversation, or re-imagining events, or wondering what-ifs is helpful. Instead, let go, let God guide, set your mind on things above, not on things that are on earth (Col 3:2). This doesn’t mean to keep your head in the clouds so to speak, but not to dwell mentally, emotionally, or even physically on what you can’t control.
So don’t stress, rest! Don’t get caught up in the crazy events of the culture around you. Instead, be content knowing that God is in control! Rest in his promise to never leave you or forsake you (Heb 13:5).
I’m always reminded of a song…
Rest within His sanctuary; there
Is shelter from the storm.
You are safe within His refuge
Till He comes to take you home.[1]
P.S. May you find significance in the Ordinary today.
Shalom!
[1] Dan Whittemore, Rest Within His Sanctuary. (Lillenas Pub. Co. 1982).
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