Contentment

I have a friend who is given to profound one-liners on occasion. About once a month we catch up by phone, updating one another and sharing our challenges. Somewhere in the conversation he will inevitably say, "What will it matter in a hundred years?" We both wind up laughing and I say, "Not even a hundred!" It puts things into perspective for both of us, and we realize the the concerns that occupy us today won't even be a memory in the not-to-distant future.

He has another one-liner that always brings peace to me. If you're like me at all, I frequently bemoan that I'm not "further along" than I am. I "should" myself to distraction. Then my friend gently reminds me, "At any given moment, you are right where you're supposed to be." I let that sink in and I feel the "shoulds" fall away and contentment seeps in. This simple statement acknowledges that God really is in control, and there is nothing outside of His oversight. It recognizes that my life is safely in His hands and that He truly does work the ALL things together for good, especially the "all things" that make me squirm. It lifts the responsibility to perfectly navigate my life on my own.

I've thought about contentment quite a bit, but what is it really? The Apostle Paul said that he had learned to be content in whatever condition he was in. I know that he faced some pretty difficult circumstances with beatings and imprisonments and persecutions. My circumstances aren't nearly as dramatic, but I need to find contentment in my "whatevers." Contentment doesn't mean that you enjoy your circumstances, or that you don't try to change them if you can. Contentment, in my view, is trusting God with your life, clinging to Him no matter what comes, knowing that He will work all things out for your good and His glory. Simple to say, not so simple to do. Some days I do better than others. I remind myself that progress requires the passage of time, and usually far more than I think it should! The bottom line is that all of my "whatevers" make complete sense in the light of His governance. Thank You Papa!!

So, for today, I will be content, trusting Him, depending upon Him and surrendering to the "whatever" that happens today.