Contentment? We were on our way back from our honeymoon in “Paradise,” when, as planned, we flew into DFW airport to make a visit to Southwestern Seminary where I would be starting classes the next semester. We went from the creature comforts of beautiful island scenery, pleasant accommodations, transportation, and a relaxed pace, to the hot, dry, hustle and bustle of the Dallas-Ft.Worth metroplex. The seminary was beautiful, but noticing the grand scale transition in physical comfort level was unavoidable. From driving a sporty red convertible exploring the tranquil beauty of an Hawaiian Island to a tiny red compact car, contemptuously named “Jellybean.” We were trying to survive navigating Metroplex traffic while looking up from our diminutive vehicle to speeding cars and trucks on converging interstates from every part of the country. We went from a comfortable condo with an ocean view, the sounds of peaceful waves breaking on the rocks and sand and cool breezes, to a dirty hotel room, with sticky carpet, threadbare sheets that your toes stick through and a view of a sweltering blacktop parking lot foreground and interstate background and all the sounds that go with them, as well as, a part-time air conditioner. Anita and I chuckled together at the stark differences that we wondered if they foreshadowed what lay ahead the next few years. God blessed us with a marvelous church, wonderful friends, our own little fixer-upper, and wonderful mentors, who taught us a deepening faith, but most importantly, God assured us that He was With Us. The faith I had known to that point was faith in a middle class home and church with the comforts that go along with it, but I didn’t know what it was like to have to trust God for the next mortgage payment or car repair bill and still trust Him enough to tithe on our meager, but adequate income. I continue to find that God is faithful to be with us in all our circumstances whether with ocean breezes or sweltering dry places or cozy accommodations or freezing cold winters… Christ is still teaching us how to be content in Him and to see His marvelous provision and presence and the comfort of connection to His wonderful people.
The Apostle Paul had survived all kinds of hardships, from shipwrecks, to beatings, to running for his life. He had known privilege, a great education, popularity, and power but he came to know that life and faith were much more than circumstances on this planet. He tells us,
“... for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself. ‘I know both how to make do with little, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content - whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me.’” Philippians 4:11-13 (CSBBible) As we look at our lives and the sometimes uncomfortable circumstances we are in, we begin to understand that this world is not our permanent home that we are citizens of heaven, but while we continue to dwell here we can handle anything because we have the Spirit of “God With Us” as a reminder and deposit of what He has in store for us for eternity. We can be content in “any and all circumstances.”
Hang in there people! God IS glad to be with us! I’m praying for us all!
