Elisabeth Elliot
"Be on your guard against all kind of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."
Luke 12:15
Am I truly willing to be and to have just what God wants me to be and to have? The older I get, the closer I get to this state of being. I remember a time when I was out of control with my wants. I was also jealous of anyone who seemed to have the very thing I wanted. Thankfully, I have learned to be content with what I have.
If there is something that I think I want and I do not have it, I can rest easy knowing that there is some reason that the Lord does not wish me to have it. Perhaps this "thing" might become an idol and take my heart from Him. Certainly I do not want that.
I remember a time when I had a longing for a house with a basement. It seemed all my friends had one. (They still do.) What I did have was a house that my husband could afford. Grumble, grumble, grumble went my little discontent heart. And then, a few years later, I had no house to grumble about! Talk about learning a lesson the hard way! By the grace of God, I learned that lesson well.
I learned not to be greedy for gain. I learned to be content. I learned that having a house on this earth is not my right. It is a privilege. Thank you, Lord for being a gentle, yet firm teacher. And, as it turns out, I have a sunken family room that is kind of like a basement. I am getting closer!
Therefore, I do believe that my heart is at rest with my circumstances. I may never own another home. If I do, it will be a gift from Him and I will appreciate it as such. It certainly would take a miracle to be able to buy a house in the next few years. And it is not something I long for, either. What I long for is to be in the will of the Lord, having nothing more or nothing less than what He wants me to have.
Elisabeth Elliot also says, "Heaven is not here, it's There. If we were given all we wanted here, our hearts would settle for this world rather than the next. God is forever luring us up and away from this one, wooing us to Himself and His still invisible Kingdom, where we will certainly find what we so keenly long for."
"In keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness." 2 Peter 3:13
Great post! Contentment is a state of being that needs to be constantly kept in check. Thankful that the Lord helps me with this difficult task each and every day!
ReplyDeleteThe simpler the life, the less to worry about? Just wondering...
ReplyDeleteWOW! This is such a great post :) I miss not having my "own" home. I long to have a place thats ours to do as we please but for now we have a great landlord who gives us a lot of freedom. God always reminds me of two things 1: be still and know that I am God (my life verse for a reason lol and 2: For whatsoever state I am in to THERE be content :) its a long and sometimes hard process but He gives me grace for it. Blessings! ~ Nikki
ReplyDeleteThank you, Nikki, Tina, and dear husband. Being content is a happy state of mind!
ReplyDeleteJenn,
ReplyDeleteI needed to "hear" this post today, as I am currently struggling with being content with what God has for me, and not wanting what others have. It's a difficult lesson to learn. Thanks for sharing your heart.
-L. Rose
That. What Lady Rose said. Ditto. I have two big enemies who take every advantage of me -- Discontent and Resentment. They are so ugly. I didn't used to be this way, and I wonder when those two pounced on me. No matter, I must be vigilant against them now! Thanks for writing this.
ReplyDeleteThis was a wonderful post - and I LOVE that quote by Elizabeth Elliott. How amazingly true!
ReplyDeleteI also have faced my share of 'house envy.' I have often caught my self coveting a larger one.
I try to justify it in my mind, by saying that the kids need their own rooms - and yet I know that more often than not, they are content sharing. Even Badger - who you would think being the only boy would long for a room of his own) but no - every night I find him cuddling his littlest sister; reading to her and giggling until they both fall asleep.
"Whoever humbles himself like a child..." (A lesson I need to heed)
So glad you are learning what the Lord wants you to learn about contentment. It is a hard thing to learn at times, and truthfully something I think we will all deal with at some time or another. :)
ReplyDeleteJoAnn
Very touching post. I've suffered with very similar thoughts and struggled. It's a battle with a fierce enemy that life lessons seems to make it seem small at times (like when we lost our home due to a complete septic failure) or the burial of our baby...but those are deep lessons that I don't want to learn again.
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed my visit and look forward to sipping tea and visiting again.
...and your camping times look like so much fun. I miss camping and truly hope that we can do it again soon.
Thanks for sharing your story. Contentment is a peaceful place!
ReplyDeleteI love your attitude Jenn. You have grown so much in this area where others still feel entitled and just don't get it. I think no matter how much one has, discontentment is a battle. Most everyone struggles with always wanting more, more, more. A good reminder for me everyday...make that every minute.
ReplyDeleteBasements are not all they are cracked up to be...flooding, leaks, storing more junk than is needed, worrying after a big rain, etc..
ReplyDelete