Content in my circumstances

Learning and practicing contentment will be in the forefront of my journey for this year as our book study group works through Calm my Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow. So exactly how does one find contentment in the midst of horrific circumstances?

If Paul, who penned the majority of the New Testament, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, had learned contentment in the midst of chains, assaults, near death experiences, to name a few....can't I too find this contentment?

I believe we can. The answer is given in Philippians 4:6-8. "Do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving present your requests to God." This command is easier said than done when one is in the midst of incredible trials...right now I can think of three people off the top of my head who are walking through unfathomable hardship. One young adult in our youth developed spinal meningitis last summer from a virus. He is now in rehab due to a fall and is experiencing seizures baffling the doctors. My pastor just had to bury his own brother who died from cancer after the brother just lost his wife tragically last November during a routine surgery. A young man, 23 years old, attended the Alabama game on Saturday only to be killed in a car accident on the ride home from the game. One only need to look around momentarily to find someone in a desperate situation of pain be it emotional, physical, or spiritual. This exercise has worked everytime for me. The moment I begin to feel sorry for myself I only need turn on the news to see that someone is in significantly worse shape than I. Remember that old song  "I Sure could use a little good news today?

Once we've embraced the command from verse 6, God's word follows with a promise for us..."and the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." Isn't peace of mind what many of us long for the most? As one of my moms said, "this means all the irrational thoughts stop flying around in my head!"

As we give our problems over to the Lord in prayer, we must practice replacing the negative thoughts about our current circumstances with positive. The Father does not leave us hanging alone in that area as well. He tells us. in verse eight.."whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right,whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about those things."

Proverbs 23:7 says, "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he" Our thought life is usally the last to give up as a believer. It is fairly simple to know the biggies...don't steal, don't use coarse language, etc...but no one knows my critical thoughts or judgemental spirit right??....except for God who knows everything and loves us enough to show us our faults. It is these very things for myself that cause me to lose my contentment. Your weaknesses may be different. But we all have them because we live in a fallen world. We take these thoughts (the negative ones) to the obedience of Christ  (2 Cor 10:5) and are commanded to be transformed by the renewing of the mind (Romans 12:2).


Today I know of women who are struggling with whom to ask to do their $1000 hair weave and families who are longing for their son to get off drugs. Regardless of your social strata, we choose to be content in our circumstances because we believe God is the blessed controller. The author reminds us that, "ultimately, contentment is more a shift in attitude than a change in circumstances."


We renew our mind by learning God's word and using it to replace any faulty thinking we have...The product of this application: CONTENTMENT..why? Because we are appropriating the truths of Christ to our individual life circumstances so we see Him at every turn.

Finally, although the author does not mention it...I want to add the importance of community. When we walk through these hard times, it is imperative to have a group of people around you that love and support you. They are the ones pointing you back to the truths of God's word which sustain you and bring contentment to you in your painful place. They are Jesus with skin on...not one who necessarily can change your circumstance but will walk through it with you always pointing you to the all sufficient one who may not rescue you out of your hard place but promises to be enough and walks through it with you as well. Remember He said, "I will never leave you or forsake you. Hebrews 13:5)

That's why I love my MomHeart group. We can meet and share and be there for one another to point one another to Christ but support each other by our presence.

Who do you have? Will you ask the Father to bring you someone to journey with? Will you dive into the truths of scripture that will sustain you during your darkest moments because they are the bread of life.