Contentment

Photo Copyright: www.godponderings.com

Tonight a cold moon casts bold shadows over a crisp snow. Venus hovers in the night sky, outshining all her co-stars. And the Big Dipper hangs low on the horizon, slopping all its contents over the down-turned handle onto the treetops.

Underfoot, the snow creaks a complaint about the weight of my boots. Truth be told, we’d both prefer it was just a little warmer. I chuckle at the thought. Why am I so prone to be discontent? When it’s 85˚and humid, I wish it were cooler. When it’s 10˚ and snowy, I long for a hot summer day. I complain when it rains on a day I planned to go biking. I complain when the sun warms the snow on a day I planned to go skiing. Complain, complain, complain.

 A speaker on the Christian radio station recently said complaining is rooted in selfishness. Ouch! But when I look closely at my trivial complaints – about the weather, about circumstances, about the people in my life -I know it’s true. My grumbling is rooted in the gap between my expectations and my reality.

The Father often checks our hearts through the words and insights of fellow believers, then brings us back to the truths in His word. In Philippians 4:10-13, the apostle Paul tells his church family he has learned to be content in every circumstance. And, what’s Paul’s secret to contentment?  “I can do all things through Him (Christ) who strengthens me.” When we rely on God’s strength to see each day as He sees it, we begin to find more contentment. Our focus shifts from our wants and needs to what God is trying to accomplish. When we are grateful for God’s provision of our necessities, we become more content with every unnecessary blessing.

In Philippians 2:14-15, Paul exhorts us to “Do all things without grumbling or disputing.” Why? So we will be “above reproach in a crooked and perverse generation” and a “light in the world.”

Not grumbling and complaining about the blows life deals us is a counter-cultural concept. If we can learn to be content in any circumstances, if we can accomplish our work without grumbling, if we serve without butting heads with those around us, we will be a light in the darkness, a shining ambassador for Christ, a daily testament to God’s faithfulness.

So by God’s incomparable grace and strength, let’s live above the fray to God’s glory. Let’s remember – it’s not about us. It’s about Him!