The Secret of Contentment

“I have learned the secret of being content

in any and every situation . . . . “

Philippians 4:12

Years ago I was at Bible study, which we closed by taking prayer requests.  My request was that God give me the ability to be content in every situation.

Instead of contentment, He told me to obey.  I ignored that for a long time.  When I finally started to practice obedience to God, life became a lot easier.  The Lord tells us that we should obey the “authorities” in our lives, because He allows them their authority.  He sent someone to tell me, “instead of asking why, ask how.  Instead of asking why do I have to do this or that, ask yourself how you can do it.”  Now when I’m told to do something, I attempt to do it immediately – and it’s easier.  Grumbling takes up a time & energy.  Immediate obedience is more efficient. 

Isaiah 57:10 says “You were wearied by all your ways, but you would not say ‘It is hopeless’.”  It’s tiring to always be thinking of my own solution, rather than taking the solution readily available.  Also, since God is omnipotent, omniscience, omnipresent & loving, His solution is always better than mine.  My solutions never got me what I ultimately wanted.  In fact, sometimes they created more problems.  Finally, I decided that my way is hopeless.

Obedience means observing certain boundaries.  I used to think of boundaries as restrictive.  I’ve now learned that boundaries can be protective & they can take the stress out of decision-making when I know that some things are just off limits.  I can relax & feel calm, even when I’m really busy & there’s chaos around me.  That equals contentment.

“Lord, you have assigned me my portion & my cup;

you have made my lot secure.

The boundary lines for me have fallen in pleasant places;

surely I have a delightful inheritance.”

Psalm 16:5-6

Logan’s Run

“We know he is our son,”

the parents answered,

“and we know he was born blind. 

But how he can see now,

or who opened his eyes,

we don’t know. 

Ask him. 

He is of age: he will speak for himself.”

John 9:20-21 

I was a child when Logan’s Run came out in 1976.  All I can remember about the film is that people weren’t allowed to live past age 30.  In real life, no one will kill us once we turn 31.  Mentally, however, a lot of people will kill us off at 31.  The great news is that God is a savior and a redeemer.

A newspaper recently did a weeklong series of articles following the life of a 10-year old girl, Dasani, living with her parents & siblings in a homeless shelter.  While focusing on Dasani, the reporters summarized her parents’ troubled lives.  Her parents came from poverty, were poorly educated, didn’t work regularly, were unemployed at the time of the writing, actually borrowed (took) money from their children, were aggressive, and struggled with substance abuse problems.  When I read the “Letters to the Editor” section, I felt sad.  So many people wrote in and said that they admired Dasani’s resilience & saw great promise in her, and advocated that she and her siblings should be taken away from her parents & given to foster care.  What saddened me is that no one mentioned doing anything to help the parents be better parents.  I inferred that, in their minds, everyone had written off the parents as being irredeemable.  The family was getting plenty of social services – shelter, food stamps, disability benefits, etc.  Presumably, because of that, giving the parents more resources would just be a waste of time, effort & money.

I thank God that He is not that way.  I’m glad that even if we’ve wasted our youth & turned out not too well in life, we still have a chance.  Acts 3 & 4 tells the story of what happened when Peter (in the name of Jesus Christ) healed a man who had been lame since birth.  He was begging at a gate called Beautiful when Peter & John walked by.  I’m glad that the story finishes by mentioning that he was over 40 years old he got his healing.

Regardless of how old you are, don’t give up.  Let God help you keep living your life to the fullest (John 10:10).

“For the man who was miraculously healed was over 40 years old.”

Acts 4:22