Don't just be content...

I consider myself a pretty content person, happily married to my best friend, blessed with 3 healthy children and surrounded by great family and friends. I recently had the opportunity to take part in an exercise about contentment which asked me to write down a list of my "needs" and a list of God's provisions. I'll be honest, at first it seemed so generic and so simple that I almost skipped the exercise completely. But being the type A, rule follower that I am, I couldn't just not do it! So I started my list and as I first predicted it was generic and simple, my list of "needs" had only a few things: food, shelter, clothing.

 Next as I began working on the list of God's provisions, I started writing the obvious things that God provides in contrast with my "needs." I started to write out the word food and as I did, I began to think of all the food God provides, all the amazing, yummy, nutritious food that He provides. He doesn't just provide me with food, He provides me with delicious, colorful, flavorful, delectable yumminess on a daily basis!! (By the way I'd like to give a special thank you to God for ice cream, oh yeah, and chocolate.) And now I was onto something - my list of God's provisions started to look and sound like a descriptive thank you letter, thanking Him for not only my "shelter" but my beautiful, comfortable house. Thanking Him for not only my "clothing" but for the all the fun fashion I get to shop for and wear!

I don't have the biggest house, biggest budget, or fanciest clothes, but I was able to see His provisions in a whole new way with not only a content heart but a thankful heart overflowing with gratitude.

I encourage you to make your own list of your needs and of God’s provisions. The list may reveal a reaffirmed content, thankful heart.
Or
Are there areas where you struggle trying to keep up with societies expectations rather than God’s? new car, new house, more money…

Here are a few scriptures that I turn to when I get that feeling of discontentment that we all feel at times, I pray they encourage you!!

My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19 

Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have, for God said “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” Hebrews 13:5

I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know both how to have a little, and I know how to have a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content, whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:11-13

Michelle Brott
Writer

Don't do it alone!

When it rains it pours! All bad things happen in 3’s. Do those two quotes describe the current or past season in your life? Have you ever feel like you are in a hail storm of mishap, tragedy and bad luck? Believe it or not, you are not alone, every human being feels that way at some point in their life. Although the level of life circumstance varies among us, the overwhelming feeling of doom or the question ‘why me’ is a common thread among humans.

Someone I loved dearly passed away not to long ago. It was a tragic accident and he left behind a beautiful wife, beautiful home, a job he loved, hobbies he had fun with, two dogs he adored and his unborn daughter that he and his wife tried desperately to conceive for a long time. He touched so many lives both in life and in his death. The sadness was crippling for his wife, but through the tears, she picked herself up, dusted herself off and proceeded with life. She was inundated with love and support from family and friends, and also from her church. Months later her daughter was born, and that baby was the most amazing blessing to her mother and all of us who loved and missed her daddy as a piece of him was with us all again. The excitement of a baby was softened by tears, as once again her mama was reminded of her loss. She had to pick herself up, dust herself off and proceed on, again with the support of family, friends and her church.

A couple months later tragedy struck once again for her as both of her dogs were attacked by coyotes and passed away, the pain once again was crippling. So many of us asked, “Why God? Hasn’t she been through enough?” But the truth is, God didn’t want this for her, God didn’t choose any of this to happen to her, God knew it was going to happen as he knows every hair on our heads, and God did what He could by giving her so many family and friends to surround her during this time of strife.

In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Many of us are unfamiliar with a “yoke.” A yoke is a device for joining together (usually animals) to enable them to work together to pull a load. In that passage, Jesus says, “Take my yoke upon you . . . my yoke is easy to bear and the burden I give you is light.” Jesus wants to join forces with us to make our load easier to bear. The Lord of Lords and the King of Kings wants to help bear our load.

All hail storms are different. Some last longer than others, some pieces of hail are larger than other, but none the less, a hail storm is a hail storm, and Jesus does not want us to battle it alone. The young mom in the story above has been yoked with the Lord as well as her family and friends. That is how she is able to continue to pick herself up, dust herself off and proceed through life. She cannot do it alone, and neither can you. When life gives you more than you can handle, yoke up with Jesus and He, too, will make your burden light.

Kristie Fields
Writer