We know so many people that are
unhappy because they're waiting for a time when everything is
perfect. They are waiting for a day when they wake up and everything
clicks, when nothing is going wrong, the day will never come.
There will always be suffering, there will always be discontent,
there will always be something that goes wrong. That's baked
in the cake called life. If your walk is to become a Christian
and think that your life will never be messy, you're walking
in the wrong direction. As a matter of fact, it is my
contention that becoming a Christian, your life gets even more messy
because you're constantly aware of the things that you're doing
and you're thinking. You're like, oh my gosh, how could I be thinking
that? You gotta be kidding me. I'm a Christian. Now, how many
of you would say, your mom would say, oh, you're such a worrier.
Okay, well, you know when we worry when we're anxious That
is a great way to know you're walking away from God as opposed
to walking towards them or with them Because you're trusting
more in your worrisomeness and you're trusting more in your
anxiety. You're trusting more in your depression You're trusting
more in your you're trusting more in your you're trusting
more in your than what God has to say to you And what the Spirit
of God can do to your heart? When I'm anxious, what I do personally
is I ask myself this question. Is this a life or death situation?
99.999999 times the answer is always what? No. Think about
the undomesticated beast that is in your head called your mind. Your imagination can get you
to places that are phenomenal. You can go from zero to stupid
in no time flat by just letting this thing run wild. Right? Be anxious for nothing. What
if I fumble up there and I say the wrong words? Okay, so I fumble
up there and say the wrong words. I'm not going to die if I do
that. It's going to be okay. When we start breaking these
things down, we find that what the Greek Stoic philosopher Seneca
said, we have a tendency to suffer more in our imaginations than
we do in reality. And think about how many times
that undomesticated beast called your imagination, your mind,
runs wild and puts you into places you have no business visiting. So now I'm anxious, I'm depressed,
I'm filled with anxiety. My question is, am I focusing
on things that are true? noble, just, pure, lovely, of
good report, virtue, or praiseworthy? Or am I meditating on where my
imagination is running to drive me further into my season of
discontent? It's almost impossible, as a
matter of fact, it is impossible for your mind to occupy two thoughts
at any given time. It's usually one thought at a
time. Now, it can be very rapidly in succession, but we don't ever
have two thoughts at the same time. So, how can we be anxious
and think on things that are true? We can't, but what do we
do? We run to the things that cause
us the anxiety. But I rejoice in the Lord greatly
and now at last your care for me has flourished again. Though
you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. Now that
I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state
I am, to be content. I know how to be abased, and
I know how to abound. Everywhere, in all things, I
have learned to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and
to suffer need. Now I can do all things through
Christ, who strengtheneth me." That's the contentment, is that
he's learned the highs, he's learned the lows, he's learned
the in-betweens, and realizes that now, because of those things,
He can be content. Have you ever been hungry? Absolutely. And when you're hungry, doesn't
that first piece of bread or that first meal afterwards make
a whole bit of difference? Of course it does. Of course
it does. You ever been tired? Yeah, right? That first little bit of sleep,
how luxurious is that? And the fact of the matter is,
when you have a reference to the highs and to the lows, then
your seasons of contentment are much easier because what you
realize is, I've eaten too much. That's not a good feeling either.
And I've been starving. Man, that's not a good feeling
either. I've slept in rocky beds. Not a good feeling. I've slept
in beds that are too comfortable that I slept with my back hurting
in the morning. Not good either. But I have a reference. And because
of the situation of being high and being low, I know that I
can now accomplish all things through Christ who strengthens
me. I cannot accomplish all things through Christ, period. I can
accomplish all things through Christ Who strengthens me, that's
where the strength is coming from. That's where my joy in
the season of discontent can now come from. Contempt means
it's not all about me. If you have contemplated that
as you breathe right now, there's another person taking their last
breath. Stop complaining and learn to live the life with what
you have and where you are. Whatever is befalling you and
causing you to curse, to suffer with the curse of discontentment,
that shall pass. It may be a kidney stone that's
shaped like barbed wire, but it's going to pass.