This issue of contentment has been a hot topic around here this past week. There have been so many emails and messages, clearly its something many are thinking about and I again want to thank each one of you who took the time to comment and share your valuable insights.
I thought long and hard before I posted this on contentment, but the tug on my heart was so strong I knew I had to. My hesitancies were that I didn't want to make it seem like I have it all together and I didn't want it to sound like I was judging anyone.
Having it all together? That's just laughable. If I start to think I do that is a clear sign that I most certainly do not.
And the judging thing? Well, regrettably I'm really good at that. I very much dislike that part about myself and am working on changing, but too often I allow it to rear its ugly head.
That was not the motivation behind the things I said though. My heart was just hurting for people feeling hopeless and helpless. In this past year people very close to me have gone through job loss, infertility, chronic pain, miscarriage, cancer, addictions. Countless others I know have gone through a divorce, the death of a loved one, have lost their home, mental health issues, a wayward child, abuse....and that's just here in America where we have it good. But even with the knowledge of those things, I understand that you can rarely really know what people are going through. In no way was I trying to make light of the struggles or deny that they exist.
The following was sent to me by a friend who was going through something very painful and really helps to sum up how I feel about struggles and contentment.
"Faith is what allows us to declare in confidence that God is with us no matter what happens."
The way to overcome our fears is to follow Jesus in faith. Our faith is what allows us to enter the future -- not with a question mark -- but with an exclamation point!
Faith is what allows us to declare in confidence that God is with us no matter what happens. We are certain God is for us and certain he has our best interests at heart.
Through faith, we know that God is working all things out for our good -- if we love God and are following the commands of Jesus (Romans 8:28). If you are a believer, the Bible says all things are working together for good -- not that all things are good -- but working together for your good and the Glory of God.
There is no difficulty, dilemma, defeat, or disaster in the life of a believer that God can’t ultimately get some good out of – so what is there to fear, as we enter this Decade of Destiny?
When you face the future, what do you see? Do you look at it with eyes of doubt? With eyes of cynicism? With eyes of expecting the worse?
You have two choices about the future –
* You can either face the future as a cynic, a doubter, with negative thoughts, expecting the worse, or …
* You can face the future expecting God to be with you and that His goodness and His mercy will follow you all the days of your life.
~Rick Warren
thanks for that Lisa. That seemed like it was just for me.
ReplyDeleteWe have a wayward child. She left our home (it will be 2yrs this March) Married a creep she hardly knew, had nothing to do with with us, and we never knew why, they moved 1800 miles away (state of WA) and told us 2 months later.
She is first now starting to have a little communication with us. She called us the Wed before Christmas and last Friday night. It was almost normal.
All the prayers for her from family and friends!!! It is amazing. Seems like now she is trying to get out of it from the things that were in this last phone call.
Our prayers continue for her and pray that someday things might be normal for all of us again. So thankful for my son and husband through all of this. She will be 22 in June.
Thanks again :)
I love this post, Lisa. We are a hurting world, are we not? But, God knows and hears our cries. I'm going back to read it again.
ReplyDeleteBlessings to you, sweet friend.