Contentment

So the issue of contentment has been laying heavy on my heart for the past few weeks (really, for years since it's something I've always struggled with). I've been meditating on what it actually means to my Christian walk and example. The question of HOW keeps coming up as I consider the implications of being truly content.

In this world of "more" and "me" it seems almost impossible to rewire my brain to think "enough" and "thank you." Especially with a type A personality, it's hard to not always want to take my work, personal life, accomplishments, athletics, etc to the next level. It's not necessarily a monetary ambition, but more of a "I only have one life to live" kind of a motivation. There isn't anything wrong with living and enjoying life, per say, but when the reflection of your life seems to show that nothing is good enough, that's a problem.

I am learning a lot from Paul's example, who was in chains when he wrote the following to the Philippians: "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." Phil 4:11-12

I think the key word in that verse is "learned." It is not always natural for us to be content in all situations, especially with the world we live in. It's always a challenge to be in this world but not have it rub off on us. Still, here is a man who was literally in chains praising God and rejoicing in his situation. I want to be more like that, since the struggles in my life shrink in comparison to Paul's (and Christ's) sufferings.

I was reading in John Courson's Commentary Bible in Colossians 4 last night and he was talking about disgruntled believers and what an oxymoron that is. We have everything to be thankful for so it should be pouring out of our mouths at every opportunity.

Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. Phil. 2: 14-16

We have the gift of eternal life, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, a Father that loves us and His Son that died for us. In addition to that, it's important that we don't compare our lives or blessings to those of others. In his words, "Don't look around." I think that is a part of what contentment means but it is also about knowing that our home is in heaven and the trials, struggles and wants we have here on earth are going to be more than insignifcant when we get there. Our challenge from the Word is to be "shining stars" to those around us and when trials come our way, may we not be knocked down and out like the world expects, but may we trust and thank the Lord for what we DO have.

"But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it." I Timothy 6:6-7

I guess the bottom line is I'm praying for more of Jesus and less of me, for an eternal perspective, to be "others" centered and thankful for the millions of blessings that God gives me each day.

Shanna

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It is Well with my Soul

HYMN HISTORY:

This hymn was written by a Chicago lawyer, Horatio G. Spafford. You might think to write a worship song titled,'It is well with my soul', you would indeed have to be a rich, successful Chicago lawyer. But the words,
"When sorrows like sea billows roll ... It is well with my soul”, were not written during the happiest period of
Spafford's life. On the contrary, they came from a man who had suffered almost unimaginable personal tragedy.

Horatio G. Spafford and his wife, Anna, were pretty well-known in 1860’s Chicago. And this was not just because of Horatio's legal career and business endeavors. The Spaffords were also prominent supporters and close friends of D.L. Moody, the famous preacher. In 1870, however, things started to go wrong. The Spaffords' only son was killed by scarlet fever at the age of four. A year later, it was fire rather than fever that struck. Horatio had invested heavily in real estate on the shores of Lake Michigan. In 1871, every one of these holdings was wiped out by the great Chicago Fire.

Aware of the toll that these disasters had taken on the family, Horatio decided to take his wife and four
daughters on a holiday to England. And, not only did they need the rest -- DL Moody needed the help. He was
traveling around Britain on one of his great evangelistic campaigns. Horatio and Anna planned to join Moody in late 1873. And so, the Spaffords traveled to New York in November, from where they were to catch the French steamer 'Ville de Havre' across the Atlantic. Yet just before they set sail, a last-minute business development forced Horatio to delay. Not wanting to ruin the family holiday, Spafford persuaded his family to go as planned.

He would follow on later. With this decided, Anna and her four daughters sailed East to Europe while Spafford
returned West to Chicago. Just nine days later, Spafford received a telegram from his wife in Wales. It read:
"Saved alone."

On November 2nd 1873, the 'Ville de Havre' had collided with 'The Lochearn', an English vessel. It sank in only 12 minutes, claiming the lives of 226 people. Anna Spafford had stood bravely on the deck, with her daughters Annie, Maggie, Bessie and Tanetta clinging desperately to her. Her last memory had been of her baby being torn violently from her arms by the force of the waters. Anna was only saved from the fate of her daughters by a plank which floated beneath her unconscious body and propped her up. When the survivors of the wreck had been rescued, Mrs. Spafford's first reaction was one of complete despair. Then she heard a voice speak to her,"You were spared for a purpose." And she immediately recalled the words of a friend, "It's easy to be grateful and good when you have so much, but take care that you are not a fair-weather friend to God."

Upon hearing the terrible news, Horatio Spafford boarded the next ship out of New York to join his bereaved
wife. Bertha Spafford (the fifth daughter of Horatio and Anna born later) explained that during her father's
voyage, the captain of the ship had called him to the bridge. "A careful reckoning has been made", he said, "and I believe we are now passing the place where the de Havre was wrecked. The water is three miles deep." Horatio then returned to his cabin and penned the lyrics of his great hymn.

The words which Spafford wrote that day come from 2 Kings 4:26. They echo the response of the Shunammite woman to the sudden death of her only child. Though we are told "her soul is vexed within her", she still maintains that 'It is well." And Spafford's song reveals a man whose trust in the Lord is as unwavering as hers was.

It would be very difficult for any of us to predict how we would react under circumstances similar to those
experienced by the Spaffords. But we do know that the God who sustained them would also be with us.

No matter what circumstances overtake us may we be able to say with Horatio Spafford...

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul!

It is well ... with my soul!
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Taken from site http://www.biblestudycharts.com/A_Daily_Hymn.html

Anger Management

I was reading online in Proverbs (I like to keep biblegateway.com open on my computer during the day when I take breaks, etc) about anger...and was completely convicted:

The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, And his glory is to overlook a transgression. Proverbs 19:11

He who sows iniquity will reap sorrow, And the rod of his anger will fail. Proverbs 22:8

He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city. Proverbs 16:32

Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, For anger rests in the bosom of fools. Ecc 7:9

Does anyone ever feel like their words are out of control? I have been struggling lately with such a terrible attitude. It feels good to be mean and to say things harshly and I'm not sure where that's coming from. I think there are quite a few underlying frustrations in my life that I am not dealing with but trying to sweep under the rug. The frustration of not having a "normal" life with my husband because of his work schedule, frustration with our infertility issues, with the stress that comes with my full time job, with not feeling well physically a lot of the time...and all the other things we deal with.

This is the major area in my spiritual life where I have not had victory. I am so discouraged, especially when words give life or give death to those I love. And they can never be taken back once spoken. I don't want to be the "fool" that harbors anger and is quick to speak harshly...

Ephesians 4:31 says to "Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice" and Col 3:8 says to "put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth."

The truth of the matter is I have so much to be thankful for and no valid reasoning for being angry or irritable. I have an amazing husband, even if I don't see him very much, :) wonderful family and friends, an awesome church, a great paying job, a beautiful house, car. I read somewhere that instead of looking at the challenges in our lives as problems, we should look at them as learning opportunities...or how can we "be part of the solution, not part of the problem." Being washed in the Word and surrendering myself to the Lord's control are two of the ways I know I can overcome this. I guess it's like any other struggle-it's a life-long journey.

Prayer for the day:

Lord give me the strength to do what your Word says and put away all negative and harmful words from my mouth. Quench my anger and my quick temper. Give me a joyful spirit that rejoices in the gift of life and all my blessings. Forgive me for my impulsive, restless, discontented nature. More of you and less of me Lord...

UPDATED: OBAMA ADDRESS TO U.N. WEAK ON IRAN, HARD ON ISRAEL, VIRTUALLY SILENT ON AFGHANISTAN

This is from Joel Rosenberg's website, http://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/. Very interesting world events transpiring...thought it needed to be shared.

ORIGINAL POST: Today is a major test for President Obama as he addresses the U.N. General Assembly this morning.

1. IRAN — Will he lay down the law with Iran? Will he mobilize the world to do everything in its power to bring the illegitimate and tyrannical regime in Tehran to its knees to stop the nuclear weapons program? Or will he be the 21st century Neville Chamberlain, and allow the world to lurch towards another Holocaust? I admit, I’m not that hopeful. But I do believe in the audacity of hope. Perhaps the President will rise to the challenge. That’s what I’m praying for.

2. AFGHANISTAN — Iran is the top challenge facing the President, but not the only. He is getting weak in the knees on his resolve to win in Afghanistan. Our top general there says he needs more troops — fast — or we’re going to lose. Yet Obama won’t commit to giving our commanders on the ground everything they need. Remarkably, even an editorial in the Washington Post this morning challenges Obama for being weak and wobbly. We cannot lose in Afghanistan. If we do, we could destabilize Pakistan, a nuclear armed country. This could trigger a war with India and the Paks. The stakes are high. Let’s pray for the President to do the right thing.

3. ISRAEL — Anti-Semitic and anti-Israel sentiment is metastasizing in the U.N. Will the President stand with our most faithful ally in the epicenter, or effectively cut her loose? Let’s be praying for good news.

God bless Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper for directing his delegation to walk out on Ahmadinejad.

MY INITIAL REACTION (updated analysis):

President Obama’s first address to the United Nations General Assembly was not just a disappointment, it was dangerous. Weak on Iran. Hard on Israel. Virtually silent on Afghanistan. The President effectively called for Israel’s capital city of Jerusalem to be divided, for Israel itself to be divided, and proposed no enforcement mechanism to stop Iran from getting the Bomb. This will only encourage the Radicals from Gaza City to Tehran.

Examples:

* ON IRAN AND THE NUCLEAR THREAT — I was glad to hear President Obama say: “If the governments of Iran and North Korea choose to ignore international standards; if they put the pursuit of nuclear weapons ahead of regional stability and the security and opportunity of their own people; if they are oblivious to the dangers of escalating nuclear arms races in both East Asia and the Middle East — then they must be held accountable. The world must stand together to demonstrate that international law is not an empty promise, and that treaties will be enforced. We must insist that the future does not belong to fear.”

* Also glad that he said: “We must stop the spread of nuclear weapons….For decades, we averted disaster, even under the shadow of a superpower stand-off. But today, the threat of proliferation is growing in scope and complexity. If we fail to act, we will invite nuclear arms races in every region, and the prospect of wars and acts of terror on a scale that we can hardly imagine….The next 12 months could be pivotal in determining whether this compact will be strengthened or will slowly dissolve.”

* I was glad to hear him say: “We must never allow a single nuclear device to fall into the hands of a violent extremist.”

* But I was disappointed that the President drew no line in the sand with regards to Iran (much less North Korea), put no decisive enforcement mechanism on the table, threatened no consequences. Right now, the President is just talk. But the clock is ticking. Iran’s nuclear enrichment centrifuges are spinning. Iran’s ballistic missile factories are creating longer-range and more accurate delivery vehicles. If Washington and the world does not take decisive action to stop Iran this fall, we may very well leave the Israelis with no alternative but to strike. Is that what the world wants…Israel acting on its own when then is really a global problem?

* ON AFGHANISTAN — I was, frankly, stunned and disappointed that while the President mentioned the word “Afghanistan,” he barely talked about one of the most urgent military issues of our day. Will he accept his own commanders recommendations and put tens of thousands of more American troops into Afghanistan to defeat al Qaeda and the Taliban and secure the peace? Or will he cut and run? How could he not even broach the topic today?

* ON STANDING WITH ISRAEL – I was glad to hear the President say his goal is, in part, is “a Jewish state of Israel, with true security for all Israelis.” It’s important that the President affirms the essential Jewish character of the State of Israel. Palestinian leader Abbas, after all, won’t say he supports a “Jewish state” living next to a Palestinian one, which is telling indeed.

* But I was disappointed to hear Obama say: “America does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements” and disappointed to hear him say he supports “a viable, independent Palestinian state with contiguous territory that ends the occupation that began in 1967.”

* First, in its full historic context, the President is telling the Israelis they have to divide their eternal capital of Jerusalem (which was a divided city before ‘67) and divide the actual territory of Israel by allowing the Palestinians to have “contiguous territory” — that is a land bridge between the West Bank and Gaza. This from a President who wouldn’t speak out on behalf of the pro-democracy Reformers in Iran this summer because he didn’t want to “meddle” in the internal affairs of another country? Mr. President, what you are proposing in morally wrong and strategically dangerous. Jerusalem should never be divided again. What’s more, the sovereign territory of Israel should never be divided at all. Certainly not because an American President insists on such things. And by insisting on them, the President is actually emboldening the Radical hardliners who will now argue that until the President forces Israel to make such sweeping concessions the jihadists should force such concessions.

* Second, why are the so-called “settlements” in Jerusalem and the West Bank illegitimate? In 1947, the U.N. Partition Plan offered half the holy land to the Jews, and half to the Arabs. The Jews said yes and created Israel. The Arabs said no and launched 62 years of war and terrorism. The Israelis have repeatedly offered the Palestinians “land for peace” deals, but the Palestinian leadership keeps saying “no.” So Israelis are building homes, schools, medical clinics and other communities on disputed territory that the Palestinians refuse to accept in return for real peace. Why is that wrong? Come with me to Israel. I’ll take you to the West Bank. These Jewish communities are being built on land where Palestinian Arabs aren’t even living. It’s vacant land. Again I ask, why is it illegitimate for Israelis to build on land that has repeatedly been offered to the Palestinians, but the Palestinians refuse to take? Moreover, the so-called West Bank was known in ancient times as “Judea and Samaria.” This is the biblical heartland of Israel. I support autonomy for the Palestinian people living in their own towns and villages. But I also support the right of Israeli Jews to build on the territory the Lord gave them as their “eternal possession.”