Finding Contentment

I live a life of envy. I know this isn’t biblically correct but if I am being honest it’s the truth.  I continue to search for the one thing everyone seeks but very few find.  This search I’m on is for contentment, and the individual that I’m envious of is the Apostle Paul.  I read the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians and I am moved by its simplicity and yet the remarkable truth in his words.

¹⁰ I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. ¹¹ I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ¹² I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ¹³ I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4

I used to think his message on contentment was instructing us to essentially settle for our position in life and be grateful for the blessings that we have been given.  I now realize his profound words are more about finding peace in your life. 

I am a man that thrives on security.  When you are a husband and father it’s not only prudent; it’s expected, to secure your home for your family but it does not stop with protecting your family from the bad guys.  I am also in constant worry about job security and financial security for it’s the latter two items that allow my family to enjoy the life we currently live. 

What I now realize is that Paul’s letter isn’t about settling, it’s about letting go of your fear.  It’s about coming to the realization that you are not in control.  His letter is about letting go….and letting God.  I must admit that I am not there yet.  My demand for order and control in my life is about fear and mistrust.   My inability to stop my worries and fears speaks volumes about my heart.  Proverbs 3:5-6 offers a clear view of an individual given over to God.  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths.”  This is a very clear passage and one that Paul must have reflected on a great deal; one that perhaps I should reflect on a little more often.

One encounter with our Lord on the road to Damascus and his life charted a new course.  Prior to his conversion Paul was already well versed in the Old Testament, but after his conversion and the events that followed in his life he must have taken comfort in Jeremiah’s words “For I know the plans I have for you, “declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” 

I pray that as the Lord deals with me on this issue I will learn to find contentment.  I pray I can seize the opportunities the Lord provides without fear and each day turn over more of my life to the one that offers life.  Whether the Lord grants me a life of luxury or poverty my contentment rest on the fact that either way it’s a life in Him and that is all I need.

In Christ,

Brian