Humility time: For many years I had no clue what Paul was talking about in Philippians 4:11. This is because, prior to a long stretch of intense difficulty, I had not learned that contentment has little to do with what’s outside me, and a great deal to do with how I handle the garbage–okay, and pleasures–that come my way.
It’s true that circumstances can contribute to contentment or discontentment. But my feelings are mine, and how I handle them is up to me. Whether I own my pain or avoid it, choose to unite it with Christ’s or bury it, is up to me.
I can numb myself in front of a screen, drown my grief in drink, laugh and pretend it doesn’t matter, or choose a healthier approach that can draw me close to God.
I get to choose…
1) How I talk to myself.
Do I believe what the world tells me about my value, what someone else tells me, or what the Gospel tells me?
2) How I interpret my experiences.
Do I put on why-me, poor-me, or how-do-I-grow-through-this lenses?
3) What I do with my woes.
Do I blame God? Blame others? Despair over what I can’t control…. Or focus on what I can?
Read More: 6 Prayers for a Grieving Heart
4) What I do with my joys.
Do I thank God? Or attribute my success to my own efforts? Do I feel entitled to happiness, or simply grateful when things go well?
5) What I do with my pride and fears.
Do I hide my troubles because I worry about what others will think? Or am I open about the cross God has asked me to carry?
6) Who I become through the difficulties I face.
Am I determined to grow closer to Christ, no matter what? Or is my belief that God will save me limited to what He can do for me in this world?
Read More: Letting God Do His Work as We Do Ours
When we start with the fact of what we face (rather than the fact that we’d rather not face it), and remind ourselves that in this moment, under these conditions, we need to serve God, contentment in all circumstances seems possible. The reason is simple: because as Christians the way we find true contentment is in serving God.
