Contentment

First, it has been a while since my last blog entry, and for that I am sorry. December and January are a crazy time of the year. It's always busy during the holidays, especially when you are still in school. Speaking of which, it is my last semester as an undergrad student! I'll be graduating this May along with the love of my life, Brettnay! It is both exciting and scary to move on from something and launch out into something new. This is the time in people's lives where they often take a wrong turn. That decision usually comes because they aren't content.

I am definitely not a pro at being content. In fact, I may be the least content person I know. Yet it is extremely important to be content! People tend to make New Year's resolutions at this time of year to do things that they haven't been doing already. These things are usually good things that will improve their lives. This isn't being discontent; it is trying to improve the things that you can control. Contentment doesn't mean that you should be perfectly satisfied with everything in your life. It does mean that you should be satisfied with the things that are out of your control. You may not like everything in your life. God doesn't ask that you like everything, but He does ask that you be content.

We all know people who just wring their hands over every single circumstance in life. When it rains they are worried about flooding, they are worried about their hair, they are worried about their car, etc. Everyone knows someone who is an ultimate worrier. The ultimate worriers are those people that simply never have something positive to say. They are the ones that add "so long as..." to every sentence. There is always an "as long as everything goes my way I'll be just fine" attitude to their speech. Then there are the people who don't worry about anything at all because they simply don't care about anything. That's not good either. How do you find a middle ground? Is there a way to be perfectly content?

Well, we are commanded of God to be content so there has to be a way to do so. God will never give a command that He will not empower us to follow. We are to find our contentment in Christ not in circumstances. The circumstances in life are going to change. The world rocks like a boat in a storm. The stock market rises and people go crazy. The stock market crashes and they go crazy in the opposite direction. Nothing is stable; nothing is safe; there is nowhere to hide from the change.

Christ is our rock and our hiding place. We can remain calm in the bumps. We can stay composed when everything in life is crashing down because we can be content in Christ. He is all, and in all, and through all. He is in control. So next time you are tempted to panic with anxiety, just remember that godliness with contentment is great gain. Peace and contentment are linked and inseparable in the Scripture.

So go ahead and go on that diet. Lose that weight or go gain so muscle. Quit drinking those sodas. That's all good and has little to do with contentment. But here's a resolution for you...don't panic, and let go of the reins. Let God take control. It's much easier.

Keep thinking friends,
Simeon Brazzell
I Tim 1:12