Not that I am speaking of being in need, 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.
Some say it’s much harder and far more draining to be the loved one sitting in a waiting room intently listening for the footfall of the surgeon’s step than it is to be the patient in the operating room. I’ve been in both situations and I say they are equally challenging. Which is why I love Paul’s declaration that no matter what the circumstance we can say right along with him, “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.
I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” I liken these words, “I can do all this…” to mean that God will infuse me with the strength I need to do what is needful in that moment. Perfect.
God supplies what is most needful
In our moments of greatest need each of us needs to be infused with the knowledge of who God is and how much He loves us. We are always needful of grace, peace, wisdom, and contentment. But how challenging it is when we find ourselves agreeing to those imperfect (at best) solutions to those imperfect (at best) circumstances. We may say yes but in our heart of hearts we may struggle to accept the situation. So how do we learn to be content in those perfectly imperfect scenarios when every ounce of our beings want to be somewhere else?
Allow God’s Word to infuse strength into you
Like Paul stated, he learned through practice and experience, through hard times and good times, through seasons of want and seasons of plenty, that he could be content through the strength God would provide. Paul exhorts us to follow his example and learn to be content by relying on the strength God provides for us today.
The Bible renews our minds
How do we activate this strength, this contentment? Linda Dillow says it best. “Just as a cup of tea gets stronger when we give it time to steep, so we become more content when we spend time in God’s Word and allow it to seep into our lives, transforming us to be like Him.”
Thoughts for Personal Reflection:
- Today, I will sit down with a cup of tea and my bible and journal. I will watch as my tea bag infuses the water with its flavor and aroma. As I observe this visual transformation, I will select several verses that speak of contentment and write them in my journal. I’ll meditate on each verse’s meaning and how their promises can strengthen and comfort me in times of trouble by infusing me with eternal truth.
- This week, I’ll make note of any upcoming events or personally challenging circumstances where I anticipate struggling to be content. I will honestly pray about each of these instances and ask the Lord to help me to be truly content before, during, and after each one. I will commit to memory this verse, “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4: 12, 13
- At the end of the week, I will spend some quiet moments reviewing both my attitudes and my actions from the past seven days. I’ll reflect my contentment levels given each challenging circumstance and ask myself how meditating on bible verses equipped me to be content with my perfectly imperfect situations.
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