Tag Archives: Secret of being content

Another rock in my shoe – complaining

Complaining and grumbling. We probably all fall into this trap at some point or another. Sometimes complaining and grumbling about things we can’t change becomes an habitual pastime. Complainer becomes our name. We complain and fuss over things that have little real importance yet irritate us in some small way. Constant complaining about things is like purposefully putting rocks in your shoe before a long hike.   If complaining is a rock in your shoe I hope you’ll read the blog post below (reprinted from 7/29/2014) and take the 24 hour “no complaining” challenge.

I’m guessing that at some point in your life you have attended a whine party, maybe even threw one yourself. No, not ‘wine’ but ‘whine’. You know what it is like: someone complains about something and then someone else ups the ante with an even bigger complaint. And so the conversation slides quickly downhill, dragging everyone with it.

Complaining seems to be a national pastime. It’s easy to fall into the trap, isn’t it? When we get wrapped up in our own world of hurts and misfortunes all we see is ourselves.  I comment about my arm always hurting. My wife reminds me to be thankful because some people don’t have arms. Adding sarcasm to my whining, I think to myself, “Yeah, well they probably don’t hurt then, do they?”  See how easy it is? (sigh)

Paul warns us about grumbling and complaining in Philippians 2 where he encourages us to take our eyes off ourselves and seek the mindset of Jesus, the One:

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death  –   even death on a cross!” Philippians 2:6-8

And so, Paul continues, we should:  “Do everything without grumbling or arguing…” (v 14). Why? So we can:

  • Be blameless and pure, behaving as children of God. 
  • Stand out from a warped and crooked generation.
  • Shine our light among others like the stars of the sky.
  • Hold firmly to the truth of the Word.
  • Live life with purpose and passion, not in vain, even if our life is one of continual sacrifice and faith, ‘poured out like a drink offering.’

How can we live pure lives by constant complaining? How can we behave like children of the king, privileged in so many ways and still be whiners? How can we live our life set apart from a crooked generation when we complain about things just as they do? Does grumbling make our light shine brighter? Does complaining help us to hold onto the truth?  No, it works against us! Complaining begets more complaining and a dissatisfaction with our plot in this temporary and short life. It destroys a thankful heart.

My wife is absolutely right: the cure to complaining is being thankful and learning the secret of being content. (Philippians 4:11-12) We stop complaining when we start being thankful and practice contentment. You’ve heard the saying, “I complained I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet.” Let’s declare a ban on personal complaining for at least 24 hours, and then renew the pledge the next day, and the next. See how your life changes and how your light shines brighter, when we refrain from grumbling and complaining when things don’t go our way.

Rejoice … Always?

 

We love to be happy. We take special joy in happy celebrations. But we’re not always happy are we? There’s a lot of stuff in life that steals our joy. We don’t rejoice in disappointment. We don’t rejoice in cancer. We don’t rejoice in being mistreated or ignored by others. We don’t rejoice in hardships or injustice. But Paul says we can – and should – rejoice always… when we rejoice in the Lord. (Philippians 4:1)

 

Why can we rejoice in the Lord always? Because he is the ultimate authority over the suffering and difficulties we face. He is the one who:

  • Makes us able to be gentle with others
  • Answers our prayer with a peace that transcends all understanding
  • Renews our mind with thoughts that are true, pure, and praiseworthy
  • Teaches us the secret of being content in all circumstances
  • Gives us sustaining strength
  • Meets all our needs

 

We can rejoice in the Lord in the face of all trouble because he is constantly faithful, because his plan is infinitely wiser than ours, and because he offers hope we need and can’t find anywhere else. The world brings pain and disease but we can rejoice in the Lord because he restores our soul. The world is filled with turmoil and anxiety, but we can rejoice in the Lord because he gives us peace that transcends all understanding. The world is full of uncertainty but we can rejoice in the Lord because his faithfulness is constant.    We can rejoice in the Lord because he is strong when we are weak, because he loves us when we are most unlovable, because he calls us when we aren’t even looking for him, and because he never abandons us even when we turn our back on him. We can rejoice in the Lord because the headlines at the end of all time read, “God Wins!” and those found rejoicing in him win with him.

 

 

If you have nothing else except Jesus you may find that Jesus is all you need. I cannot imagine more or settle for less. Paul is not talking about putting on a plastic smile and pretending to be happy. He’s speaking from the personal experience of excruciating suffering and still finding the contented joy in rejoicing in the Lord…always.

 

Have you learned the secret of rejoicing in the Lord even in the toughest of times? Maybe today is the day to turn to him and ask him to reveal more of himself to you – more of his power, more of his love, more of his joy, more of him in your life.

 

 

Understanding “I can do all things”

 

We cling to favorite verses, especially those that offer us comfort, strength, and hope. But real comfort and strength come from right understanding. To borrow from the field of photography, there are two ‘tools’ that help us understand scripture. One is a ‘wide angle lens’ that allows us to see the bigger picture. Another is a ‘zoom lens’ that allows us to examine a verse close up in more detail. Both look at verses in the context of their setting. As a single sentence fits within a paragraph, and a paragraph within a chapter, the single verse that we carry as a banner has contextual meaning that might be different from what you think it does.

 

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

 

Have you sometimes been tempted to think this means you will have supernatural abilities to accomplish impossible tasks on your to-do list? Or that, with enough faith you won’t be troubled by the excruciating pressures of life?  God might grant you supernatural strength to lift a car off an injured person or to achieve some other formidable task. But this is not the general meaning of this verse.

 

Looking at the bigger picture through our wide-angle lens, we see this verse set in the context of Paul’s letter to his beloved church in Philippi. The theme of his letter is of living in the joy of following Jesus. A sub theme in chapter four where we find this verse is encouragement to remain steadfast in faith and to pursue unity with others. Looking closer with our ‘zoom’ lens, we find the context of this particular verse, found in the verses that precede it:

 

“I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 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.”

 

Paul gives thanks to the church for their gifts and concern. He also explains why he is not in need: Because he has learned the secret of being content, regardless of having plenty or nothing. The secret is that his circumstances do not determine his outlook. He can maintain this outlook because he regards all things as loss compared to knowing Jesus. (Chapter 3)

 

None of us will ever be fully content pursuing our own personal gains and ambitions. But we can learn and apply the secret of being content in difficult circumstances by pursuing Jesus above everything else, with the very strength He gives through His Spirit who lives in you. Being able to be content in all things is a measure of faith in God verses faith in self. Got the “secret?”