The Secret to Being Content
By Tessa Brusven, Resonate Bellingham
I don’t think anyone would argue with me when I say that 2020 has been quite the roller coaster. Not the enjoyable, casually-put-your-hands-in-the-air-and-laugh kind, but the nauseating, headache-inducing gut-buster that’s sole purpose is to wreck you kind of roller coaster. The kind where your sweaty palms grasp the bar so tight your fingers lock, your knuckles go white and you are holding on for dear life. This year has hurt.
In and amongst this hurt, I will admit that I have battled and questioned God’s goodness and His faithfulness. When the world is seemingly crumbling all around you, you watch friends die, loved ones get sick, injustice running rampid, the future unknown and hope and joy seems to have been swallowed by darkness, it’s hard to see and know that God’s hand is still at work. I found myself repeatedly saying, “God I’m hurting, the world is hurting, what are you trying to teach me?” “What am I not seeing?” Time and time again, each hard situation, whether it was housing problems, financial needs, or just straight heartbreak, there was undeniably always something the Lord was walking me through. Something that was growing me, something that was building my faith and bringing me closer to Jesus. This year has probably been one of the hardest years of my life, but if it wasn’t for those hardships, many of those lessons I learned would have failed to be. One thing that I have come to realize is that though this year has been hard, I am actually thankful. I am thankful for the opportunities to trust in the Lord’s plan over my own. I am thankful for the daily challenges of surrendering control to Him. I am thankful for this roller coaster of a season, as it has pushed me to rely on God for my comfort and provision through the high highs, the low lows, those quick corners, and loopty loops. On this ride, I am reminded of one man from the Bible that also lived a tumultuous life. One full of pain, suffering, and heart-break. A life that makes 2020 look like nothing. And yet, he modeled a life of peace, love, joy, and contentment. This is what he says in Philippians 4:11-13,
“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.”
Paul’s life was far from a walk in the park. As it says in 2 Corinthians 11:23-28,
“...far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, though many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.”
And yet, through it all, he remained content. How is this possible? How can someone in so much physical, emotional, and spiritual agony remain content? Paul could because he wholeheartedly trusted in the Lord’s sovereign plan for his life and relied on the Lord for his strength. Therefore, no matter the situation or circumstance, good or bad, full or hungry, safe or in danger, he was deeply spiritually satisfied.
This points us to an awesome reality: Our contentment is not subject to our situation. It is not circumstantial. How freeing is that?! It isn’t contingent on our financial situation or our social climate. It isn’t contingent on our reputation or our employment status. It isn’t contingent on how many friends and loved ones we surround ourselves with. It isn’t contingent on how many Instagram followers we have or how many likes we got on our new political post. No! Our contentment is only found through Jesus. It is learning to be completely and wholeheartedly satisfied with the will of God and His plan for our lives.
So then how do we live out contentment like Paul, walking through this world unscathed by its fiery arrows and living into a state of indestructible joy that laughs at the face of many trials?
By remembering just WHO our God is. Here are a handful of things I have been learning and re-learning during this season.
HE WORKS ALL THINGS TOGETHER FOR GOOD
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28
This is one of those verses that is easy to say and hard to believe. We see a broken world full of suffering and hate and sometimes, at least for me, it’s hard to believe that God is working amidst it all. Just last week a close friend of mine was hit by a car going ~50mph, and now for the foreseeable future, his life will consist of physical therapy and doctor visits. He is a solid God-fearing man, with ambitious goals to bring God’s kingdom to Earth, and now, he is stuck in a hospital bed with little to no feeling in his legs, spinal damage, and head injuries. How is this good? Why would God allow this to happen?
The truth is that I do not know how the Lord is using this for His kingdom, but just because I don’t see it, doesn’t mean He's not working. We have such a finite view of the world, while the Lord’s view is infinite. We only see the past and present, while the Lord sees ALL and knows ALL. Yeah, I don’t understand how the Lord is using Stevie’s accident at the moment, my contentment is found in God’s character, His promises and the undeniable love He has for us. God makes beauty out of ashes, He uses unlikely people and situations to glorify His name and He works ALL THINGS together for the good of those who love Him. This gives us hope when all we see is darkness and gives us peace when things don’t turn out the way we thought they should have. Reflect back on hard chapters in your life. What did you come to learn through a rough situation? Where did you ultimately grow? When one door shut, did another door open? What was the silver lining?
COUNT IT ALL JOY
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4
When 2020 throws another curveball, let’s try not to spin out of control, but instead try to see areas where we need to grow. Look at it as an opportunity to learn, to be stretched and tested, and ultimately to mature into the people God has created us to be. Just as a child experiences physical growing pains, we have spiritual growing pains as our faith is tested. This year, with the Lord’s help, I managed to get into the music education masters program at Western Washington University. This was something the Lord put on my heart to go for, but based on my experience and lack of requirements, was an ambitious endeavor, to say the least. Regardless, I made it in and came to the daunting realization that I truly had no way to pay for my future schooling. It was easy for me to believe that there was no way it would work out, it was just too expensive, it was just too unattainable for God to make happen. I began letting fear drive my decisions instead of trusting the Lord in all things, however, even in our fears, He remains the one in control. Even when there doesn't seem to be a way, He makes a way, and He made a way for me to pay for school. Thousands of dollars diminished down to nothing. We serve a mighty God that always provides for us, and through situations of uncertainty, fear, pain, the testing of our faith, God is shaping us into looking more like Him through every trial. What trials are you currently facing? Where does God want you to trust Him? How is God growing you through this season?
SET YOUR MIND ON THINGS ABOVE
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” (Colossians 3:1-2)
From the moment we wake up in the morning, the internet is already pushing news updates and political agendas. New pressing stories and “hot takes” clutter our media outlets, our conversations, our lives, and, by default, our minds. Countless worldly things compete for real estate in our minds, but we need to honestly ask ourselves if we are giving that space to the world or to Jesus. As it says in Romans 8:6, “to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” What is the first thing you read in the morning? What do you find your mind drifting to throughout the day? Are the competing desires in your life leading you to follow after God or man? Who is sitting on the throne of your life?
BE THANKFUL
This last step is simple in theory, but hard to live out. Be thankful. You cannot be thankful and discontent. Challenge yourself to be thankful when things don’t go as planned. Be thankful when your world is shaken. Be thankful when the answer is “No,” because, at the end of the day, you are not the one in control and that is for the better. Our view of the world is limited and our perspectives biased, while God sees all and knows all. His plan is perfect, and it is for our benefit. He is forever faithful, perfect, and just. He will never stop loving you and taking care of you. Be thankful you don’t have to worry about tomorrow. Be thankful that you don’t have to stress. Be thankful that God is faithful yesterday, today, tomorrow, and forever. (2 Timothy 2:13) Surrender all your control, pain, anxieties, ambitions, expectations, etc., and let Him do what He does best. Let God be God.
Where are some areas in your life where you need to start living into thankfulness?
With all that said, living into contentment and being joyful in all circumstances is not usually something you can just switch on. It is a process. God gives us trial after trial to perfect our faith, and likewise, contentment. Paul lived out contentment beautifully, but remember that he had opportunity after opportunity to learn this skill. We are all a work in progress that God is diligently molding and shaping, but if we are frustrated in our seeming inability to “Rejoice in the Lord always,” or, “Count it all joy,” remember that there is grace. It is not our own health, wealth or wisdom that gives us security in our life, but the grace and love of Jesus that carries us through EVERY hardship.
