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| picture of my crew taken last year...a lot has changed in this year.... |
Yesterday our Sunday morning message was about just that....being content. Later than afternoon I had a fellow church member tell me they did not like the message. Ironic since I had called Scott (who was traveling between his mom's hospital room and visiting Carlton at the ranch) and talked about how much I loved it! This person went on to talk (basically) about the fact that we "couldn't be content with all the terrible things of this life". Hum. I disagreed. I talked with this person a long time and while I know in the midst of loss and struggle it is hard to say "i am content with my life"....we HAVE TO GET THERE! At some point we have to pull ourselves in and realize our intention, our purpose in life and know that this is not where we want to be! We must desire eternity, we must work for eternity and we must surrender the hardships of this life long enough to be content with waiting.....waiting for eternity.
I do not think contentment is lax, contentment is not something that falls into our laps. Contentment is bigger than that....to a huge degree in my mind it requires a lot of hard work....it requires intentionalism. It requires peace...the kind of peace we have in our heart when we obey God.
Scott and I sat at the kitchen table last night going over the new youth calender and catching up, planning and talking about the week to come. Scott is traveling and life promises to be 24/7 (I hope I can schedule some sleep time in our schedule!). At the end we circled back to contentment. I am content. I am happy with my life. I am so very blessed. Is there heartache in my life? Yep. Is there hardships? Yep. Is there fussing and feuding and tattling and whining? Yep. Is there reason to fall down and consume myself in self pity? haha...of course! If that were my choice, but it is not!!
I am so thankful for my life. So thankful for my husband who grounds me....so thankful for my children, my family (earthly and Christian)....if I loss any part of that on this earth I pray they will be with me in eternity. And with that knowledge, with that thought, I am content.
My contentment is not attached to this world, but to the promise of the next. What a sweet sweet promise we have in Christ!!!
Love this post. With all your kiddos, you are one person, who could be anything but content! You just seem to let the troubles roll over you. And that is the way it should be. I think we have to learn to be content and I know many Christians who have and many who are still learning, and some who don't want to learn contentment. Have a good day!!
ReplyDeleteI have really worked hard at evaluating and choosing:) I look at a situation and if I can do something...I do....if I cannot ....I pray. I have too or I would be crazy, well more crazy than normal:)
DeleteThere is such contentment in knowing we are right with God and obeying His will for our lives wholeheartedly. Is it easy, now way, does it bring contentment, you bet!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing.
Love,
Summer
I sure have had you in my prayers!! I know contentment is so hard for you right now (well, not the living your life for Him wholeheartedly, but the living it where you want to be!!!).
DeleteLove you!!!
Ok, so I get what you're talking about-being content with our lives, our choices, our circumstances - but here is my dilemma....I often describe some of my childrens' poor choices for their lives as them being content to settle for much, much less than I have shown them life is supposed to be. Not just materially, but standards they have let slip, or thrown away altogether. For example, one dd19 seems to be content to be in a relationship (married to a man 10 yrs her senior) where she claims she is abused. She claims they don't have a car at times and claims they were living in a hotel for months. I say "claims" because I don't know for a fact that it's the truth (she has BPD and is known for changing her story many times over). This is not the way she was raised by us (since the age of 2). We are at a loss as to how we can help her since her idea of life is so much less than what we envisioned for her. Is this an example of contentment? I keep calling it that and wondering how it has come to this but I am at a loss to understand it.
ReplyDeleteContentment is often mistaken for lack of motivation or desire to see purpose....much like you talk about. But that is not contentment....although it would be correct to say "My 19 year old daughter is content to be abused."
DeleteBut that wasn't the kind of contentment I was talking about. Mine was much more Godly and "inner"....which in turn shows on the "outer" :) I suppose your thoughts are the flip side of the coin? But I would still call it what it is....CRAZY poor choices!!!
Ok, I agree with that. I hate that "contentment" can look like such a negative thing. That's what confused me I guess. I suppose I should phrase it different, like "My daughter has settled for...." because I cannot possibly wrap my brain around being content with instability and insecurity and fear. Of course, she has turned her back on the God she was raised to know, love, and praise. That has to be the worst possible choice she's made.
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