Philippians 4:11-13 “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 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 all this through Him who gives me strength.”
“If I only lost weight then I would be happy.”
“If only I looked like her my life would be perfect.”
“If I could just get rid of this anxiety, I would feel great all the time.”
“If only I had the money to buy a new house then I would feel better.”
“If only I had a husband…”
“If only I had a different job…”
“If only….”
We’ve all had these, or similar thoughts before. We think that if we could just snap our fingers and change that ONE thing, then our lives would be amazing. Constantly striving towards the next thing and never being content with what we do have can cause some major issues for us.
Because with this line of thinking, we are never enough. We are never ‘good enough’ as we are when all we think about is how ‘if only this thing changed then my life would be perfect.’
Here’s the deal: You get a new house or a new car? You’ll just want to do upgrades to the house and the new car will be missing ONE thing that you want. You lose that weight? You will still be unhappy with yourself and keep restricting, letting food control you.
God doesn’t want these ‘if only’ thoughts to control us. He wants us to be content with HIM and what He has provided for us!
Now, I want to make a point here to say that it is completely okay to WANT things. Just look at the motivation behind WHY you want that thing. Do you want to get rid of the anxiety because YOU want control? Do you want a husband because all your friends have one? Do you want money to spend on more and more material possessions? (and it is okay to want material possessions, but we all know that this can get a little over the top with some!)
A lot of us fill the voids in our lives with material things, like clothes and shoes and technology when we are actually yearning for God’s peace in our lives. Instead of placing our relationship with God at the forefront we tend to just click ‘add to cart’ because it is easier. Buying things DOES make us feel better for a few minutes! But that lasting peace that we are all yearning for? That doesn’t come from ordering something, or feeling in control of a situation. That lasting peace comes from building a relationship with the Lord!
To have this peace we have to trust Him in all circumstances. As Paul described in the verse above, the secret to this contentment is trusting God with it all. Trusting Him during the hard times and the good times. Trusting that the situations that He has allowed in your life are for a purpose, and He will use them.
God will give you the strength to go through these situations in life that are difficult. He will give you the strength to deal with that past trauma, those hard emotions and that difficult situation. But, it starts with you taking steps towards the Lord by spending time with Him. By connecting with Him through reading the Bible, doing devotionals and praying.
Paul also states that contentment is a learned behavior. So, how do we learn to be content? We look at the motivation behind why we are wanting something. We bring that, no matter what it is, to God and ask Him for help. We have to start turning to God daily with overwhelming emotions that cause us to stress shop, eat or restrict. When we do an action because of an emotion, we give more power to that emotion.
Not being content will rob you of your joy and happiness. That sweater that you though would bring you happiness won’t. It will only make you want a pair of jeans and accessories to go with it. Paul shows us that being reliant on God, no matter what is happening is where contentment is.
What are your triggers for discontentment? What ‘If Only’ questions do you tend to ask? What actions do you perform because of that trigger or question? Bring these musings to God today in prayer and ask Him for guidance.
Need a Bible Study? Check out my shop for a few! I am also starting my FREE August Bible Study on August 1, 2020! Below, download this free 32 Page Bible Study and the free August Calendar. We will be going through the first 8 books of Psalms. I picked Psalms for August because the author deals with so many emotions, and I think it is really important for us to see how people of the Bible dealt with emotions so that we can have guidance! Join me on Instagram @heightsinheels every day of August!
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