Be Content

You know, I hear this all the time, I even say it a lot……….be content…..find joy in your situation……find happiness with yourself. Though all of it is true…..and easy to say…..it is so hard to follow through with. Paul tells us in his letter to the Philippians that no matter his situation, he is content because the Lord provides for all his needs. WOW, to have the attitude Paul has, to truly die to self…..that is definitely a model to look after.

So what does it mean to be content. In the Bible, contentment literally means, self contained. Basically, we are not self sufficient but we are self contained in Christ who gives us the sufficiency we need. Paul writes in Philippians 4:11 “Not that I speak from need but that I lear to be content in whatever circumstances I am.” He is thanking the church at Philipi for the resources they send, but also letting them know that he is not dependent on that because God sustains him. Die of self……..be content.

But you know me…….i cant just read that one verse…..i wanna know what’s going on. So i start reading around that verse and finally just said enough was enough lets start at verse one and read the entire chapter of 4…..its only 23 verses. Vs 19 tells us that God will supply all our needs. I was talking with a friend yesterday…….who is into music and was needing a few things as he is gearing up to do some live shows. He told me that for some reason he felt he needed to go to the guitar shop but he didn’t know why, so I said let me know what you figure out, God will show you when you get there. And show him God did. He walks in and the sales clerk said he was just needing to call him, because my friend actually had a $300 store credit…….say what? So he was able to get what he needed. He told me, Sara, I hadn’t even voiced it out loud…..I told him it didn’t matter because God knows what is in our hearts and He met your need. I’m sure we all have stories like this…….and these stories give me goose bumps. It shows that God doesn’t just want to give us our basic needs….but He wants to provide our wants as well….but like a parent….sometimes the answers to our wants is no or not yet……..and that is because God sees the bigger picture and knows what is best and has something even better waiting for us! Isn’t God amazing???

But before I leave off, I wanna back track a little………..Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” WOW. Something I struggle with is anxiousness and anxiety. I do not like being in crowds, or around people in general. Yes yes I know…….i work with the public and I want to open a restaurant. But right here I am told not to be anxious, God has got me. He grants me the peace that surpasses everything……..including my overactive and anxious mind and heart. When feelings of anxiety begin to take hold……stop……breath………..and go to Him in prayer. When His peace falls on you, its like I can breath again. So in all this, be content. Be content in the season you are in because God is taking care of it all. He is supplying our needs and granting us the peace we need if we just turn to Him and find contentment.

So as you go through your day and the rest of this week, pray that God bring you to a place of contentment and peace and be happy in Him and Him alone. He has got us in the palm of His hand and He wont ever let go!

-Sara