Am I content? Are you content? I looked up the word content in the American Heritage Dictionary, and one of the definitions stated; to be happy, satisfied. Okay, I would say in general that I am content most of the time. I am satisfied being single, living with my sister, her husband, and my mom. I love living in the state of Texas with 100º summer days and modest winters with no snow (except for this year). God always gives me enough money to pay my bills and enjoy life. Being a millionaire has never been in the cards for me, and truthfully that’s okay. I learned long ago that money couldn’t buy happiness.
Yes, I thought I was content until recently. God has a way of teaching us and showing us what we need to learn in our lives to be more like Him. I have been reading in my devotional book about Elijah living the extraordinary life for God. I believe most Christians would say they want to live the extraordinary life for God, but do they understand what that means? One of the lessons we must learn is contentment. “The only way to truly be satisfied (content) is by learning to depend on God for your well-being,” says Dr. Jeffress. I thought to myself; I depend on God. Really?
A short time ago, I made a list of all the things I wanted to accomplish after my workplace closed and I was laid off. I’m a person that works well with lists! I love feeling at the end of the day to see how many things I have crossed off my list. This week has been a challenge for me. Although I have accomplished a great deal, I have come to realize that I don’t always accomplish everything I set out to do each day. Then at the end of the day, I feel bad for not being able to cross off many items.
BAM! Then it hits me like a ton of bricks. Every day I pray during my quiet time that God would control my every action that day. I want to accomplish what He wants me to accomplish. Yet, why was I feeling this remorse of not accomplishing what I set out to do every day? The reason is, my well-being was based upon what I had accomplished each day and not based upon what God wanted me to achieve each day. I was not content with my accomplishments! God was, I wasn’t!
Does anyone else feel that way? You give your day to God and have all these goals you think He wants you to do, and at the end of the day, you may have only accomplished one thing. You feel defeated, maybe even angry at yourself. Yet, God doesn’t feel that way about you! He loves you, and truthfully maybe He only wanted you to accomplish that one thing. The truth of the matter is, we don’t know why God allows this to happen to us except to say God knows the future. He knows what is essential and needful at this time in our lives.
Maybe you are a mom of small children, and you feel like you can hardly keep your head above water. Perhaps you are a single mom, and between work, kids, and the house, you are barely making it. Or maybe you are now working from home, and you are going stir crazy, wearing your sweats and having your mate or children around you 24/7. Let’s face it; we are all living different lives. Yet, let’s go back to that question, “Are you content? Really?”
What if we pray each day for God to direct us through the day, and we let Him. Yikes! Regardless of what we think we should accomplish, we allow Him to have control of our lives. Then at the end of the day, we can rest our head on the pillow and thank Him for using us. Period! NO regrets, NO defeating thoughts about ourselves, just thankfulness. Then I believe we will experience what the Bible says in Philippians 4:11, “Not that I speak in respect of want, for I have learned in whatsoever state I am, in addition to that to be content.”
