Simply Being — Be Content & Trust
Our theme for our Simply Being Series is “Be Content and Trust”. I have to say this week was hard to write about.
It’s not hard because I can’t think of what to say. But rather, I have too many things whirling around in my head. All rushing to get out to the paper. It would be a fire hose; WAY too much of a firehose for one little post. Believe me. This is the second time I’m trying to write this. I had 900 plus words last time and I was not done. Rather I ran out of time. lol So I decided to start over 😉
What is being content?
- Being content is hardest when things around us are imperfect.
- Being content is learned.
- Being content is not found in looking at other people but in looking to God.
- Being content is seeing the big picture.
- Being content is seeing the lessons in the midst of the hard things.
- Being content is finding the little blessings in the midst of a hard climb.
- Being content is realizing the circumstances we are in right now, is preparing us, reshaping us, and strengthening our relationship with Jesus.
- Being content is hard.
- Being content starts with Seeing with God’s eyes.
Some questions I’ve been asking myself this year. . .
- Does being content come with things? A nice house? A new appliance? Wiggle room in the budget? Money?
- Does it come with a good job? A perfect church? Lovely children? Romantic Marriage?
- Is contentment only for the good times? Is it for the vacations? The future? The happily ever after?
- Is contentment only for the answered prayers? The Yes prayers… The ways that seem to all go smooth.
- Or is contentment More than all that? Is being content for the hard times to?
- Are we supposed to have a smooth life? Are we supposed to be content when things are going rough? Can we still enjoy life when things are going rough?
And trusting. Do we trust God only for the good endings? Or do we trust that God has a plan even when the situation ends exactly how we would not want it to.
Being content begins with seeing through His eyes.
Seeing through the Eyes of Jesus; hard things bring us closer to HIm.
Seeing through the Eyes of Jesus; hard things cause us to lean on His strength, rather than our own.
Seeing through the Eyes of Jesus; hard things make our muscles increase.
Seeing through the Eyes of Jesus; we see the BIG Picture. Not just the little situation we have right before us.
Seeing through the Eyes of Jesus; we see our Heart. How wicked it can be, how the tough things makes us ooze with complaints, worries, and discontent. Seeing our heart we realize how much we need a Savior to rescue us from the doubt we feel. To rescue us from the sin we get so easily distracted by.
Seeing through the Eyes of Jesus; we can see how loved we are. We can see how the hard things actually form us into the person Christ wants us to be. The hard things make us into someone who is able to help others in the same situations. It makes us realize that these hard things we are going through are not because God doesn’t love us rather because He is refining us.
Seeing through the Eyes of Jesus; means remembering His past faithfulness and trusting Him to carry us through whatever is in front of us.
Being content and trusting is just that; looking at the big picture and seeing what God has in mind with what we are going thru just this very minute. Good and bad. That we see the hard things that come in our life OR the hard things that STAY in our life, that we can’t get over; as exercises to make us into who are created to be. Remembering how He has been faithful.
We can only ‘Be Content and Trust’ by really truly knowing Jesus.
I wrote this post yesterday… then this morning during my quiet time I read John 17:3. It just reiterates what I felt led to write yesterday:
And this is eternal life, that they KNOW you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. John 17:3 ESV
And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. John 17:3 KJV
This is the key, my friends. This is the only thing that matters. Do we KNOW Jesus? Really KNOW Him?
What steps are you taking today to strengthen your relationship with Jesus? What are you doing today to get to know Him a little better than you did yesterday?
Join the challenge on Instagram, tell us what you are doing to know Jesus better. Use the hashtag #simplybeingchallenge
{Did you miss week one of the Simply Being Series? Go read it here}