Contentment

Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have, for He Himself has said, "I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,"
so that we confidently say,

"THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID. WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?"

Hebrews 13:5-6

I heard this verse about a week before Christmas in a sermon. I marked it in my bible and began reading it over and over at home, before going to sleep at night or during the day, just to be reminded of its' truth. For some reason, I had never connected the different thoughts expressed in these verses together.

If I am not to love money, which I didn't think I did, however, I carried an awful lot of concern around in my heart for something I didn't love. What is money, after all? It is various pieces of paper, with numbers and designs on them. It is round pieces of metal, minerals imprinted with numbers and designs. Placing this fact in front of me, looking at it as simply a thing, gives me a healthier perspective. It can just be numbers on a page. It doesn't give value to me, or to my life.

Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

Colossians 3:2-4

Living my life in gratitude daily for what I have been given, learning contentment, has been one of the most rewarding journeys I have taken. To connect the words of Christ with this, "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you", gives me a reason for being content. It's not based on denial of the facts of my situation, but based on something much greater.

What a gift, to read the words, "The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What can (mere) man do to me?" We all face many different struggles and worries, but the same truth can calm each of our hearts.

I awoke in the night many times during the week of Christmas, and I leaned heavily on these verses, letting them dwell in my heart and mind. This past week, the concerns I had then are no longer. The things I was worrying about never came to pass. The arrival of two different checks, two days earlier than expected, and of course God's grace, has carried me through to a place today of no worries! Maybe I should whisper those words, but I woke up this morning with the realization that there is nothing hanging over me, no darkness threatening to cast a shadow over my day. I was so surprised by this that I started searching my memory for anything that I might have forgotten about!

I'm writing this because I felt I needed to share the GOODNESS OF GOD and HIS FAITHFULNESS in my life. Whether it's impossible financial situations we are facing or health concerns for loved ones, or impossible people in our lives, the Lord's words ring true and will sustain us through this new year, 2009.

God bless you richly!