Can Contentment Cry?

Have you ever noticed that some people are born with natural agility and physical strength to be graceful and strong and athletic. On a good day I can walk without stumbling on a pebble. Some people were born with a natural beauty and can be stunning in jeans and a sweatshirt, ponytail and no make-up. I missed that gene. Some people have a great mind and can learn and remember with ease. Nope. Not me! I think a good day is remembering to take my grocery list or knowing where I parked my car. And when both happen on the same day, I know that God must truly be directing me! Other folks are born into affluence and  have the resources to shop top quality stores and replace broken things rather than repairing them… again and again. Where’s the fun and challenge in that, I ask you? Thrift shopping is like going on a treasure hunt! And the thrill of making the car last to 300,000 miles just doesn’t compare to the smell of a new car. (I might be fibbing a little on that last one).

Though I fall short in many areas, they don’t compare to what I have. I have a heritage of contentment and that sure does help to balance out what I lack. To be completely raw and honest, I have experienced tremendous sorrow in the past year and a half. I lost my mom and dad. Health struggles have plagued me, keeping me from doing what I want to do. My adult children have seen loss and pain and health issues that I cannot fix. My grandson is in the USAF and somewhere in “the field” learning to survive on nothing but his learned skills and God’s provision.  Some days life is just hard… and I am learning that sorrow is an uninvited guest that shows up at the most inconvenient of times. Unchecked tears flow without warning. My heart aches deeply at the sadness that I feel. Some days I think about my parents, my kids, my loved ones who I cannot help, and I can’t get my thoughts to budge from pictures of them rolling across the screen of my mind, making it hard to do the things that must be done.

YET … in spite of the struggles and the pain, contentment remains by my side. Maybe it’s in my DNA. Maybe I learned if from my Dad who learned it from his Dad. I can’t really explain why one person can live in contentment while yet another struggles a lifetime to find it. But Paul does a pretty good  job. As this first century follower of Jesus came to know the truth that Jesus was, in fact, the Son of God… the Messiah… the Redeemer for all humanity, he learned much about contentment and saw exactly what deprived people of it.  And, by the way, Paul is writing this letter to the people in Philippi while in prison, not a cozy cabana on the beach, (which seems to me to be a more logical place to discuss contentment). Take a look at a few of the truths he shared that give us a glimpse into the source of his contentment…

3:1  Be joyful in all things because it will safeguard your faith.

3:8  The only thing that is of real value is to know Jesus intimately

3:13  Stop looking at the mess of the past, but look to the One who will make something beautiful of the rubble you or someone else created. Look forward, not backward

3:19 With His strength fight the craving of this of earth and focus on setting up the feast in your future true home in heaven.

4:2 You will have disagreements with good people, even when you love them. Settle disagreements so that you can keep your focus on your mission of promoting the Truth and Love that are the foundation of your faith.

4:4  Rejoice some more. Let your heart be filled until it overflows with all the joy He gives.

4:5 Be considerate of others

4:6 Trade worry for prayer and trust God to supply what you truly need.

4:8 Direct your thoughts to focus on truth.

4:13 Remember, God supplies the strength you need to build a life of contentment.

4:15 Be generous and give to those in need.

Whether you are seeking contentment with what you have or who you are with or what you are doing in life, all of these truths will help you to find it. On the flip side, here’s what life looks like without following Paul’s advice …

Complaining

Pushing Jesus, as your Guide, to the back burner

Wallowing in the guilt or injustice of the past

Running to what the world says will bring joy

Fighting to win at any cost

Having a chip on your shoulder

Maintaining a “me first” mentality

Working longer and harder to get what you want, ignoring those who need your time

Believing the lies Satan tells you to keep you miserable

Living totally in your own strength

Holding tightly and selfishly to everything

I don’t know about you, but I think I will continue to follow Paul’s advice and go for the win in the contentment column. After all, being grateful is better than complaining; knowing Jesus intimately is better than seeing Him only as an icon. Looking forward is better than living in the past. Feeding my spirit is healthier than indulging in what my human  nature craves. Resolving disputes is better than allowing bitterness to grow. Gratitude makes what you have, enough. Being kind matters.  Fear is crippling, but trusting God brings freedom. God’s truth sets me free, when Satan’s lies  have me tied up in knots. God can provide much more than I can on my best day, and giving is truly better than receiving.

Contentment can come along with sorrow, but cannot co-exist with self-pity and selfishness. It comes when we realize we are not enough, but we have open access to the ONE who is.

Stop hanging on to what you can’t keep and grab hold of the truth that Jesus is what you need and you can trust Him with all you have. Never  let the message of the world cause you to lose your grip on the TRUTH that you are loved by the ONE who made you for a purpose and longs to bring you to the place where that purpose if fulfilled. There is where you begin to find contentment.