Work In Progress – Being Content

Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him and he will do this:
He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun.

After a restless night, I reluctantly get up at six o’clock in the morning. It’s hard to find anything to wear that feels comfortable. My feet hurt too, so shoes are another issue. Blindly I move around the bedroom, get dressed and go downstairs to fix the boys’ lunches. “What day is it today, anyway?” I wondered briefly only to hear my older son ask, “Mom, where’s my uniform?” “Aha! Uniform day…it must be Wednesday, then.”

Still moving at a slower pace than normal, I finish lunches, impart commands, check last minute e-mails, see the kids out the door to catch the school bus, kiss my husband good bye and head out the door to face the rest of my day. It’s seven thirty in the morning and I am already spent.

The almost 45-minute drive down the country roads that take me back to work find me thinking about being content. “The secret of being content,” Paul tells us is to trust in Him who gives us strength and to know that in Him we can do all things. (Philippians 4: 13) That’s what Dan and I tell our sons pretty much each day as they walk out the door to go to school in the morning. We trust that the Word would become ingrained in them with repetition; but is it becoming ingrained in me? If it is, why then does discontent so often sting me?

Once again I come back around to the issue of trust, my most important unfinished issue; my perpetual work-in-progress.

Psalm 37: 3-4 tells us,

Trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart. 

As I think about these verses I pray that the Holy Spirit will speak to me and continue to guide me on the path to acquiring contentment in a life where dissatisfaction seems to creep up and attack my soul in alarming ways. “Give me ears so I can hear, Lord!” I plead. And He speaks. He repeats,

To trust in the Lord: to rely on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, faithfulness of God. To have confidence in Him, in who He is, in His love, power and ability.

To take delight in Him: to take great pleasure and joy in Him.

Therefore, have confidence, trust Him and enjoy Him for He will give me the desires of my heart.

The Holy Spirit also leads me to the concept of dwelling as seen in Psalm 91: 1

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

To dwell: to be a permanent resident. Not just a visitor, but to live forever in His shelter and rest in His soothing and refreshing shadow, so I can finally say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” (Psalm 91: 2)

Lord, You are my strength, only in You I can do all things. Allow me to trust You for You are Trustworthy and Faithful. May I have no doubt of that. Lead me so I may take delight in You and dwell in Your shelter and declare that You are My God, in whom I trust!

The day goes by bouncing from classroom to classroom trying to do my work the best that I can. I come home to direct homework, figure out dinner and run to soccer practice. I skip laundry and after showers and prayers, I finally get to stretch out in my comfy chair. I close my eyes for a minute and feel the breath of God breathe on me again. Praise you Lord.

Linking with Work in Progress Wednesday