The Secret to Contentment

 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. 

Philippians 4:12 (NIV)

 

 

We plan and dream.  We imagine a life called us.  And on the wings of our hopes we see "happily ever after" just over the horizon.  The days come and go and dreams give birth to other dreams until our very happiness is put on a shelf, just out of reach.  We wait for the day when our children are a little older or our husband's work schedule changes.

 

But waiting for the right circumstances to make us happy brings a tension all its own.  Very often we mistake this tension as a sign that we are lacking something, but it is actually a tension born out of wanting what we do not have.  Contentment, after all, is an inside job, and no amount of rearranging our lives will bring it to us.  We must find it within ourselves.

 

The secret to contentment comes from understanding that where we are now is exactly where God wants us to be.  He has a purpose for our lives, and He offers a peace that is separate from our circumstances.  When we open our hearts to this, love comes rushing in the way the tide fills even the tiniest holes in the sand and blessings are scattered around like seashells.

 

Lord, help me grow in the holy habit of contentment by seeking Your presence and purpose for my life.  Amen.

 

 

From 3-Minute Devotions for Women

 by Barbour Books, 2013