CONTENTMENT

"I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength."

As I was working Friday night, God brought this passage from Philippians 4:10-13 to mind, and I believe there lies some serious significance to this. Actually, I think God has been patiently working with me on this issue of contentment for years now. And thank God for his patience! He could have given up on me years ago, but He's been faithful. So much time has been wasted by me whining, complaining, and selfishly wanting things to be different.

It's just too easy to complain about what we don't have, to focus on the suffering we are going through. I think my problem is selfishness. I want, want, want. I crave, crave, crave. And when it really all comes down to it, it's a perspective issue. I can choose to focus on the "negative" or choose to praise God for the "positives". Sometimes I just get so wrapped up in my own little world, lose sight of Christ, and then it's all over. And I tend to blow things WAY out of proportion! It's easy to do that when we lose sight of Christ, isn't it?

So, back to the point. The point, for me, is to work on getting to where Paul was, learning to be content no matter the situation or circumstance. And, as is the case with so many things in life, the key is more of Jesus in my life. Really, how many "issues" would we really have if we were more tuned into Christ, were letting Him guide and direct our lives more often. With more of Christ in my life, there's less room for me to jack stuff up.

So, it's back to the basics for me. Basics=more time with Jesus.