In Search of Contentment

My husband and I have a dear friend who always longs to be somewhere else doing something else.  We often talk about how sad it is that our friend cannot look and see the blessings in her life and appreciate all that she has.  And that our friend does not understand that she will not be content just because her circumstances change.  A new job, a new hobby, a move far away...none of these outer changes is going to change her dissatisfied nature.

Today I'm feeling a lot like our friend.  I feel like I need a new project.  The tasks at hand are less than inspiring, and I long to find something new to pursue.  Something less messy and less taxing.  And then my self-centered dissatisfaction spirals into self-pity.  Instead of focusing on all the blessings around me I focus on the things I wish I could change.

The fact is, of course, that even if I could change certain things, the change would be imperfect.  No matter what project I tackle, it is simply never going to be perfect.  I will inevitably look at the project midway through and think, "This is messy.  I need a fresh start with something else." 

And then I hear the words of Paul...

"for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me."

Perhaps the things I can't change are given to me to teach me to learn to be content.  Paul says that he "learned" this skill, not that it came naturally, and certainly he had to endure sufferings far greater than mine to learn it.  So, I can rest in the knowledge that the occurrences of today, from the hurtful word to the annoying interruption, are ordained for my good and can be used to teach me to be content.


I can be content because my circumstances are not coincidence.  And I am loved by their Author.