Learning Contentment
Posted by: forthrightmag <forthrightmag@...>
http://www.forthright.net
Going straight to the Cross
It may not be the easiest lesson, but it's among
the most important.
Learning Contentment
by Phil Sanders
"I know how to get along with humble means, and I
also know how to live in prosperity; in any and
every circumstance I have learned the secret of
being filled and going hungry, both of having
abundance and suffering need." (Phil. 4:12)
Last November my mother suffered a debilitating
stroke, which left her unaware of her
surroundings, unable to communicate, unable to
eat, and bedfast. My wife Jackie and I rushed to
the hospital in Norman, Oklahoma, and spent four
days with her. She never knew we were there.
The doctors told us that she had 24 to 48 hours to
live. We expected another stroke would take her
life. In our crisis, we prayed that if she could
not get well, the Lord would take her and save her
from the life of a vegetable.
God was gracious and spared her life. In time she
went to rehabilitation and to a nursing home that
was prepared to continue her treatments. Today she
is aware of all that goes on around her, and her
memory is remarkable. With the aid of a walker she
can go to the cafeteria on her own. She can use
her hands and is able to talk on the phone.
Up until a few weeks ago, she was unable to eat.
The Lord has restored that gift, and she is
feeding herself hard food rather than enduring
meals given through a tube to her stomach.
Through it all, mother has not complained. No pity
parties, no "why me?" Remarkably, she has said,
"God is so good to me."
God's grace, when we have borne our own thorns in
the flesh, truly is sufficient (2 Cor. 12:7-10).
Learning contentment is a matter of perspective.
It is learning to count blessings rather than
adapting a mindset of misery over what we do not
have.
Contentment must be learned. We are not
automatically given it. The key to contentment is
in drawing close to God and in gratefully
receiving what He grants us. Contentment always
follows gratitude.
"God is so good to me."
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Bothering You?" Catch it while it's still on the
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