Contentment

At our small group last Sunday night, our spiritual leader asked us to go around the room and tell us what word God had given them for 2006. She told us how these past two years she's asked the Lord to give her a word for the year as a theme for seeing Him work in her life. She told a brief story of how one year God gave her the word "change." As the year unfolded, she realized all the significant changes that occurred in her life throughout the year. The next year when she asked for another word, she "heard" the word "child." At first it seemed odd, until months later when her daughters started having babies. And then later in the year she got this deep sense of security that she was God's beloved child.

When it came my turn to give a word for the year, it was easy. The word "contentment" was on my heart the last few weeks. Specifically, contentment in Christ. This theme was borne from some weeks of struggling with how discontented Ican be at times. And confessing this sin to God and others. This word also surfaced after I came across a timely book called Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow (it's written for women but it has helped me tremendously -- please don't tell my Wild at Heart brothers about this!).

I've wasted far too many hours wishing I had another career, lived in another place, dwelling on regrets...rather than seeing how good the Lord has been to me and my family. And trusting Him that He has put me in this city and this job and this place in life.

One paragraph in Dillow's book really helped me. She tells of the apostle Paul's extremely difficult life -- being beaten and imprisoned and rejected because of his bold proclamation of Christ. And yet he says that he has learned the secret of contentment: "I can do everything through him who gives me strength (Phil. 4:13). Dillow remarks: "Paul recognized that the source and strength of all Christian contentment is God himself. "

That's it -- contentment is not found in my circumstances but rather through the joy and satisfaction that comes through Jesus Christ.

And so that's my word for 2006 -- contentment. And specifically, contentment in Christ.

How 'bout it? Are you ready to ask God to give you a word for the year? Pray about it. And when He gives you that word, I'd love to hear about it.

Your friend,

Jim