Elusive Contentment

Here are some excerpts from the opening pages of a devotional book I am reading entitled Contentment: Seeing God's Goodness by Megan Hill.

1. We start with Scripture. God's Word is powerful. In fact, it's the most powerful force in the entire universe. It turns the hearts of kings, brings comfort to the lowly, and gives spiritual sight to the blind. It transforms lives and turns them upside down. We know that the Bible is God's very own words, so we read and study it to know God himself.

2. Our study of Scripture is practical. Theology should change how we live. It's crucial to connect the Word with our struggles.

3. Our study of Scripture is worshipful. Fundamentally, any struggle with contentment and ingratitude is a worship problem. We've lost our orientation toward the One who should rule our lives, and we need to turn back to him. The Word points us to Christ, who rescues us from our plight and reorients our life. The goal of our time in God's Word should always be worship. As we grow in our affections for Christ, the King, we put to death our disordered desires and ungrateful attitudes, The power of a greater affection for Christ can transform our souls. We'll grow in contentment and gratitude as we fix our eyes on the cross. Adore Christ. Love him. Cherish him. Praise him. Honor him. Give your whole life to him. Don't hold anything back.

Candy's thoughts: I've often been amazed at the quickness of the Israelites to start complaining and whining about their circumstances so soon after their dramatic rescue by God from the hands of their oppressors in Egypt. They said such encouraging remarks to Moses as "Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness?" or "If only we had died by the Lord's hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by pots of meat and ate all the bread we wanted. Instead, you (Moses) brought us into this wilderness to make this whole assembly die of hunger!" Yikes!

And yet, here I sit, typing on my computer these words while being bothered by the dishes in the sink, the laundry sitting in its basket within my field of vision, and 10-12 "to-do" church and family items on my list for today. Oh, and there is no food in the fridge and it's almost lunchtime. How can I get all these tasks accomplished? The murmuring in my brain is getting louder and louder. I have lost track of the number of books and articles I've read on contentment in the last few years. I even taught at a weekend retreat for women on the book The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs! And yet here I sit, complaining in my heart concerning my duties for the day. Have I learned nothing? YIKES!

Those of us living on THIS side of the cross have even less reason to be discontent than our Old Testament friends. We should know better. We have the perfect example of contentment in Jesus. Despite his to-do list of saving His people from their sins by living a perfect life, dying on the cross, and taking the judgment of God that we deserve, He chose to pray to His Father "...not my will, but yours be done."

Surely I (we?) have "...lost our orientation toward the One who should rule our lives and we need to turn back to him. The Word points us to Christ, who rescues us from our plight and reorients our life."

Oh dear Lord, please reorient our lives toward the Savior who brings us glorious peace. Amen.