Family, the Glory of God shines much brighter in the midst of hardship, and much more do we seek His face during such times. How beautiful it is when prayers are answered. Hard times cause us to truly cherish the joyous times. We can help others with what we have been through and tell them about the light that is to come! Now tell me trials and hardship aren't for your good and His glory!

"When will our consciences grow so tender that we will act to prevent human misery rather than avenge it?" -Eleanor Roosevelt

Proverbs 31:8-9

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy."

I am called to love and defend those who have no voice, those who are poor and in need, to care for the "least of these."

"In Christ Alone"

Being content, as said by Webster dictionary, is to be "feeling or showing satisfaction with one's possessions, status, or situation." Before you read any further, take a second to think to yourself: "what does this mean to me? Is contentment something I struggle with? Am I content?"



The world that we live in is always telling us that we "need" MORE. We need more time. We need more money to spend on ourselves, to purchase "things" that we give much meaning to. The most fashionable clothes, finer cars, bigger homes to hold all of the "stuff" that we are continually acquiring. We need more food. We need more of...you name it. As more is being produced, we are continually consuming. America tells us to be content we need to have what everyone else has. That to be "better" than our neighbor we need compete to have better, newer, nicer, MORE. Are we ever truly content?

The reality is that our culture has become selfish, materialistic, demanding, pampered. Compared to many, we have so much, yet we still think that what we have is not enough. Often our "riches" are hoarded up, when there are many who are in need.

It is easy to get upset when things don't go our way. When trials and hardship arise, blaming others and God is easy. Getting down on ourselves is easy. Allowing "happiness" to be stolen (true Joy cannot be stolen), thinking negatively, complaining, and dwindling in sorrow is easy. Giving up is easy. Staying in our comfort zones is easy. Not sharing the Gospel is easy. Soaking in a life of sin is easy. Being selfish is easy.

Accepting trials and hardship as discipline is hard. Realizing that growth will come out of hardship is difficult. The thought that going through something yourself will be of help to another person can be the last thing one wants to think about in the midst of a storm. Understanding that God has a plan greater than what we can comprehend is hard. Persevering is hard. Relying on Christ alone is hard. Walking by faith is hard. Having the boldness to share Jesus with people can be hard. Fighting our sinful nature and casting out idols is hard. Fighting the desire for MORE is hard. Giving generously and sacrificially to those who are actually in NEED (what does the word need actually mean?) is hard. Being selfless is hard. Loving like Christ is hard. But all of this is possible. In fact, it is what Christians are called to do.

There is a problem. We let our circumstances steal our contentment, when our contentment should be the SOURCE of how we deal with our circumstances. We allow what we can acquire to bring us only temporary "contentment" and then wonder why it doesn't last.

The apostle Paul's contentment is legendary. In Philippians he says that he learned to be content in EVERY situation (in need, hungry, imprisoned, persecuted, etc.) through CHRIST who gives him strength. This reflects Paul's unquestionable trust that God would provide whatever he needed in any circumstance, and it was always ENOUGH.

Godly contentment cannot be altered by the ways of the world.

I have struggled with this recently. I have wanted more, wanted to take the easy route, wanted to fit in with the world. The fight against worldliness, against sin, against Satan...it's an ongoing battle. The thing is, none of what I've been struggling with matters. It is so minuscule compared to the Truth and people that actually do matter. The things of the world will pass away. First Timothy 6:6-8 says "But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that."

May we find contentment in Christ. May we realize how little we actually NEED, and be satisfied with that. May we realize others needs and fulfill those. May we be content in circumstances that are harsh. May we live as foreigners here living in reverent fear, rejoicing regardless of our sorrows, because this world is not our home. May we ask the Holy Spirit to sanctify our hearts, changing us to be more like Christ, obtaining His mindset and living as He did. Let us be like Paul, who trust God so much that what was provided unto him was always ENOUGH.

This is my prayer for myself and for the world.

Thomas Watson, a Puritan theologian and minister once said "Contentment is a divine thing; it becomes ours, not by acquisition, but infusion; it is a slip taken off from the tree of life, and planted by the Spirit of God in the soul; it is a fruit that grows not in the garden of philosophy, but is of heavenly birth. It is very observable then that contentment is joined with godliness! 2. Contentment is an intrinsical thing; it lies within a man; not in the bark, but the root. Contentment hath both its fountain and stream in the soul. The beam has not its light from the air; the beams of comfort which a contented man has do not arise from foreign comforts, but from within! 3. Contentment doth not appear only now and then, as some stars which are seen but seldom; it is a settled temper of the heart! It is not casual but constant."

God will provide - Yahweh Yireh!