My house is usually full of people during the holidays, which is amazingly beautiful and messy all wrapped up together. Laughter and tears, cooking and baking, extras squeezed around the table, stacks of dishes, loads of laundry and late-night talks.
Then all too soon, everyone leaves and I’m teary-eyed and cranky. (The crankiness doesn’t last more than a day or two because I really do enjoy my husband!)
This mothering gig is 24-7 whether our kids are living under our roof or not. Our hearts ache with love and concern for them, no matter their age. We pray for them to be healthy and happy, but most of all, we yearn for them to walk closely with Jesus.
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
3 John 4
Parenting young ones is physically exhausting while parenting older kids is emotionally exhausting. Those of you with children on both sides of the spectrum need to eat your Wheaties™ with a strong cup of coffee!
Whether you’re in the thick of active parenting or in the thin of “parenting” from the sidelines, take a moment to count your blessings and offer up a prayer for your concerns. The Lord knows it all, but it sure is good for our spirits to practice gratitude and surrender our needs to Him in prayer. No matter what stage of life we’re in – singleness, marriage, full nest or empty – we must pursue godly contentment. The key to contentment is in learning where to draw our strength from.
The apostle Paul wrote about contentment as a man who had learned through life’s journey.
I know what it is to be in need and I know what it is to have plenty. 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. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:12-13
The Greek word translated content here means satisfied, sufficient. Earlier, Paul had pleaded with the Lord three times to take away some kind of torment he was encountering. The answer to his prayer was, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
I don’t know about you, but I feel better knowing Paul – like us – was educated through personal experience. He learned how to remain satisfied in the lavishness of the Lord’s sufficient grace. There will be times of need and overflow for all of us whether it’s relational, emotional, physical, or financial. When we are needy in any of these areas, it’s easy to slip into fear or disillusionment. When we are overflowing in these areas, we’re prone to fall into pride or complacency.
Godly contentment is finding satisfaction in the Lord, while complacency is marked by self-satisfaction. When we rely on ourselves for any kind of gratification, we end up lacking pretty darn quick. But when we trust in the Lord to sustain us, there will always be enough for the next step.
I believe we can learn the rhythm of contentment within the everyday ups and downs.
When we practice drawing strength from the Lord in the small storms – when bigger ones come – we’ve gained muscle to weather them well. It’s not about comparing the size of our huge storm with someone else’s little storm, nor is it about feeling guilty for being in the midst of calm waters, it’s about leaning into the Lord within each moment.
Most likely you and I can look back at different seasons of life and wish we had appreciated them more. It’s not too late to find joy in today. Let’s draw our strength from the Lord, soak up His sufficient grace, and enjoy the moment. That, my friend, is godly contentment!
