YOU CAN LEARN TO BE CONTENT!

YOU CAN LEARN TO BE CONTENT.

Whatever your circumstances, God wants to fulfill His purposes through you.

From the chapter, “Praise the Lord, Anyway.”

The verse in James that begins with the words: “Count it all joy…..” (James 1:2) was a verse often quoted in Bible studies I attended as a young woman. The Holy Spirit convicted me of my need to put this into practice. James 1: 2-4 reads: “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

I cross-stitched a “Count it all Joy” plaque for my bedroom, using yarn to match the colors of the walls and fabric. When it was framed and ready to hang on the bedroom wall, I couldn’t do it. God knew I was still in the learning phase. Since I was not at the place God wanted me to be, I put it in a drawer. It took times of testing to come to the point where I could really “count it all joy”

God used a recession to get my attention. My husband was a homebuilder. He had told me earlier that home building and real estate were the first businesses to be affected by a downward turn in the economy. He was right. We went through a recession in the seventies, eighties, and nineties. I learned that the best way to save money was to stay out of the stores. Because we did not have extra money to spend, I found the “call of the mall” less appealing than ever before. But to “Count it all joy?” When those difficult times descended upon us, I hadn’t quite learned to obey that command.

Evangelist Ron Dunn had made a statement something like this: “Because God wants you to trust Him, He will see to it that you have to.” During that first recession, when we were visiting friends at Christmas, God saw to it that I had to! Our Christmas had been meager that year--we were really into saving money. On the other hand, the dad in the family we were visiting was in a high-paying profession—one not affected by the economy at that point. I’ll always remember sitting in their living room when one of the couple’s children marched in, carrying some expensive gifts her mother had received for Christmas.

I remember feeling my heart sink. I certainly didn’t want to “consider it all joy” right then. Oh yes, I was reminded that I needed to “rejoice with those who rejoice,” but at the moment I wanted someone to comfort me and “weep with those who weep.” (Romans 12: 17) Even though I knew my husband could not afford expensive gifts at that time, it was difficult for resentment not to gain a foothold in my heart. (He did give me similar gifts years later.)

On the way home from our visit, the Holy Spirit convicted me. It was as if God were saying to me:“You are being disobedient. I will supply your needs. It is not My will for you to have expensive clothes or fine jewelry at this time. Those things do not bring contentment. Look to me to fulfill the deep longings of your heart. Praise the Lord, anyway, and you will move forward in learning to “Count it all joy.”

It was at that moment that I needed to praise the Lord and put a wreath on the door of my heart and my home—a wreath of acceptance. I needed to concentrate on what I did possess. “Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want, but the realization of how much you already have.” (Author Unknown) I lived in a lovely home with a wonderful husband. It was not his fault the economy had ‘tanked.’ We had never gone without a meal and were well off by the world’s standards. Most of all, we belonged to Jesus, who would take care of us in good days and bad. I needed to learn to be content in my circumstances. My attitude of ingratitude must change to praise and thanksgiving. PRAISE THE LORD, ANYWAY! When we got home, I opened the bed stand drawer to retrieve my wall plaque. Hastily, I hung it on the wall as a reminder to “Count it all Joy,” no matter what! Today, there is a painted plate on a shelf beside my breakfast table, which gives me that same reminder each time I sit down to eat.

As Christian women, we must “walk by faith and not by sight.” (II Corinthians 5: 7) Our welfare is not dependent on the economy or the government. We are totally dependent on our Heavenly Father to make a way through any wilderness we have to pass through. We must be willing to accept His plans for solving our problems. No matter how dark it may be, somewhere, the sun is shining. And always the Sun is shining in our hearts. Put a wreath on your door—wherever you live and “count your blessings, naming them one by one.”8 Then ‘praise the Lord, anyway,’ and trust in the all-surpassing power of God to see you through.

wrote this several years ago:

WHEN TRIALS COME,

Am I going to fall apart, or fall on my knees?

It is my choice!

Am I going to be filled with fear, or full of faith?

It is my choice!

Am I going to live in the Circle of Regret of give thanks in everything?

It is my choice!

Am I going to panic, or will I “commit every detail of my need to God in earnest and thankful prayer,” allowing “the peace of God to keep constant guard over my heart and mind through Christ Jesus?” Philippians 4:6 NLB

It is my choice!

In every situation, you and I have a choice in the way we respond. We can Praise the Lord, Anyway, or we can grumble and complain. We can have a bad attitude or “a splash of gratitude.” 9 It is our choice!!

Try praising the Lord, anyway!