If you are a faithful, weekly reader you might recall that last year I confessed that I do a “Word of the Year” rather than New Year’s resolutions starting in January. In case you wanted to go read that post first, click here but be sure to come back and read about this year’s word!
I bet you have already made an educated guess as to my word for 2020! You are correct….
As I was praying around the beginning of December last year about my word for 2020, I received an email devotional from a musician, Tim Timmons, whom I’ve had the pleasure of hearing and talking with a few times as he was the opener for some Christian concerts I attended.
This particular devotion was entitled “Black Friday Discontentment BUSTER” where he contemplated how society for the most part WANTS more, bigger, newer. This certainly leads to discontentment in our lives which “drains the fullness of our thanks and leaves us ungrateful for what we do have!” What great truth to reflect on.
Timmons shared how a pastor friend of his always encourages people to have the mentality of saying
“I love <my life,> it couldn’t be better!”
Try that little exercise, my dear reader, substituting the words “my life” with different things in your life….my house, my spouse, my job, my car. As Timmons points out the real point and heart behind this exercise is
“walking with contentment.”
That point is what spoke to me about the specialness of focusing on “contentment” leading me to feel that was the perfect word for me in 2020.
Isn’t it much better for us to focus on “thank-FULLness” in ALL things, especially those things we are discontent with? It certainly can change our perspective!
While pondering that word through December I did not really get a lot of “confirmation” for the word until I ran into this Bible verse which solidified it in my mind.
Reading and reflecting on those verses was meaningful for me. As I researched the word “godliness” I found that it
“implies a good and holy life, with special emphasis on its source, a deep reverence for God.”
I find that a great goal for living on this earth. Do you agree?
Striving to live day by day, with our focus on our true source of life, our reverence, our respect for God. He is the Creator of everything, including you and me! He loves us unconditionally and provides what we need when we need it!
Combining that godliness with contentment in all circumstances is our great gain, my dear reader!
That brings us a true freedom~
Think about those next two lines of the Bible verse. Indeed, we brought nothing into this world when we made our grand appearance on this earth, and truly we can bring no material things with us when God calls us back home.
A little before discovering this Bible verse I heard a sermon about how, even if we have just food, clothing and shelter, we truly have all we need to physically survive on this earth; how we should have contentment even if those were the only things we have.
Material things in this world are truly secondary and of passing importance; we need to focus on the things that count in the life beyond this earth.
How about focusing on loving every person you meet, seeing Jesus in them, forgiving those that hurt you, giving someone the benefit of the doubt in a circumstance, spreading kindness, and blessing others even with a simple text when you are praying for someone?
I keep this visual in front of my computer so I see it a lot of the time. My initial thought regarding my word of the year was that I think I have failed so far. For some reason though this visual is right in front of me so much of the time maybe I haven’t really consciously thought about applying the concept of “contentment” to the different areas of my life.
While processing these thoughts it occurred to me that, in actuality, maybe I am living in “contentment” especially during these quarantine days. As I shared in another post recently, I still have not done any major house projects and clean outs like it seems like everyone else is doing. I am blessed to still be working part time remotely, with a mandatory day off every other week, but have kept busy with growing more in my relationship with the Lord in various ways.
For me it feels like life right now is just about the “basics”; being content with the simple things in life and working more on the spiritual aspect. Contentment with taking a walk in the fresh air, making a phone call to let someone know they are in your thoughts and prayers, simply taking time to open the Bible more and taking time to just BE in God’s Presence in the simple, ordinary things each day.
While reading the Timothy verses I ended up seeing this passage that Paul shares to the Philippians:
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. –Philippians 4:11-13 (NIV)
Paul is ultimately saying that he knows the Lord will not fail to give what He sees to be necessary for his well being. His faith and trust is in God strengthening him to face every situation in his life.
My dear reader, that is MY prayer for you and me this week~~
With only God’s perfect timing, Weston Skaggs, an indie artist friend of mine, released a new EP back in January. One of the songs entitled ‘Til I See You Again has a line that jumped out at me relating to the word contentment. I actually wrote the line out and put it next to my bed as it is perfect to dwell on before dozing off. This, too, is my prayer for you this week, my dear reader~~
“May you, in every circumstance, be found content with the lot you draw and who the potter is molding you to be.”
Here is a link to the one minute promo release for the song which perfectly starts right at the line that spoke to me!
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” –Hebrews 13:5 (NIV)
