The Secret of Contentment

"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 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."

~ Philippians 4:11-13

Do you ever feel like you are in a stagnant stage of your life?  You know, when you finish school, or studying, or some other milestone in you life.  Milestones are a major point, but it is only until we are passed them that they becomes a marker in our life's journey, not a boulder which we can't seem to get through.

"Just wait on God, you are in a time of waiting at the moment."

"It is easier to steer a moving car; drive in the light you have."

Have these ever been spoken to you?  I have heard both, and what makes life confusing is that they seem to contradict each other.  One is saying to wait for God to show you His plan, while other is saying go forward, and He will direct you has you go.  So do you wait for His guidance, or do you move forward, believing that He will guide your steps?  I believe both are a word in season, and  both are equally true.  But I think it depends on one crucial point: Being content where you are at the moment.  God never ever wastes time, and so if you are following and seeking Him with all your heart, mind and strength, then He will direct your paths.  That's a promise:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.

~Proverbs 3:5-6

You have to trust that God will lead you, when the time is right.  And while it might seem that you are chafing at the bit, and not doing anything for yourself, for Him or for anyone else, the lessons and character which are being built and developed are well worth the wait.  God never wastes time, and so everything you experience, is for a reason and for a benefit.  True, not all circumstances are God's plan, because we live in a broken, fallen world, but

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him who have been called according to His purpose.

~ Romans 8:28

We have all been called.  Some of us are called to the international mission field, others to the mission field in our town, and still others are called to the mission of our house, home and families.  But nonetheless, we are all called and none is more important than the other.  But sometimes it seems that the calling will never come true, and although you are saying yes to God and to whatever His plans are for your life, nothing is happening. 

It is then that we have to learn to Trust.  Simply sit back and learn to trust God.  God won't move us on in life until we have learned the lessons from the situations we are in.  And when there seems not to be any lessons to learn, well, that is a lesson too.  

So it all boils down to this simple point: The Secret of Contentment is to trust in our Lord and our Saviour.  And lastly, look at the last verse of the Philippians passage, verse 13:

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

~Philippians 4:13

All things.  That means everything, the things which are both hard and easy.  It takes just as much strength to sit back and wait for God's plan, seemingly to be doing nothing, than it does to be on the front line everyday and every hour.  There are seasons for both the busy and the quiet.  There are reasons for both.  And there is strength available for us in every season - the seasons of action, and the season of waiting.  

The secret to contentment is to Trust in our Lord, knowing that He is there for us every minute of every day be it full of achievements, battles and breakthroughs, or be it full of the quiet waiting on His promises, His strength, His love, and His peace is there, ours for the t