Contentment

It’s a cliche. But still a perfect picture. Is my cup half full or half empty? Do I fixate on what I don’t have, or am I grateful for what I have been given?

Paul wrote, “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:11).

Paul was a guy who was imprisoned, shipwrecked, beaten and ultimately executed.

I want that kind of faith, that no matter what life hands me, I can be content in knowing that Jesus uses all things for my good and His glory, and that my strength comes from Him and not my own very limited power.

Several years ago, my cousin was dying from breast cancer. She had shriveled to nothing but bones, and her eyes were sunken into her skull. At 37 years old, she was leaving behind her husband and three young kids, the youngest of whom was a toddler. Her cancer journey was filled all the emotions you would expect: anger, fear, grief. But along the way, she grew closer to Jesus.

He used her illness to grow her faith and that of those around her. In her final weeks, which was about this time of year, she celebrated one last Christmas with her children and said her goodbyes. And she was content. In the end, all that mattered was faith, hope and love, and it took cancer to get to that place.

I think of her when I read this verse. Her illness was a roller coaster of ups and downs, late nights of worry, rivers of tears, and much suffering from the fight. And the grief of her family still reverberates today. So I know, and all those who were watching knew, that kind of strength to face death so contentedly could only come from Jesus. Although those of us who loved her no longer have her, we now have more of Him.

Let’s pray.

Dear Jesus, in this season when we pause to give thanks, teach us to count it all joy and to be content — even in our struggles, even in our pain. Give us the faith to trust that you are working for our good and the goggles to see our cups overflowing with your blessings. And as we celebrate with our friends today, may they always point us to you. Amen.