Luke 3:14

“Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be content with your wages.”

            In the verses leading up to this, John the Baptist is telling the people to make way for the Lord and to repent from their ways and turn. They were living in sin and not being content in what was provided for them. Being content is not a task easily accomplished. Content in our situation, content in what we have, and content in the Lord. If we are never content where we are then the next thing will never be good enough. I got a car that was passed down from my brother and from day one, I wasn’t grateful for what I had. I saw everyone around me with fancy new cars and I always wanted what they had. I wondered why I didn’t get that and why I had to pay for all of the expenses also, not realizing that I was blessed to even have a car at all. In another instance, since sixteen, my parents made me have a job and pay for a lot of my own things. I had to pay for phone and car insurance, gas, eating out, and buying stuff that wasn’t a necessity. I resented the fact that I had to keep up with all of these expenses and none of my friends did, their parents payed for everything for them. I wasn’t content in the fact that I was able to go out and do stuff with my friends and drive and have the ability to get a job. My parents just wanted to teach me responsibility and all I saw was them trying to make my life difficult. Another thing, was me not being content with how my parents watched over me. I had to text them every time I left a place and got somewhere and where I was headed. I didn’t see this as them just trying to watch over me because they love me and want me to be safe, I saw it as they didn’t trust me. They didn’t think I was responsible enough to go out without them checking up on me.

            In all of these instances, God was truly blessing me and all I saw was the worldly side and not being thankful and content with all that I got to have and experience. There were certain points in all of these areas where the Lord would show me the real reasons behind it all and I would be thankful for a moment until I took my eyes off of Him and started looking back at all of the things the world was telling me. Eventually, I got tired of being discontent and looking to the world, and that’s when God came in and showed me my heart and what needed to change. Then, I started to be grateful for all that the Lord had provided, but part of me was still discontent. I wasn’t happy that I went through a time where I was sour to my parents and I lived in that place. I was still not content in the freedom God had given me from that. It’s a constant battle to live in that freedom. I have to go day by day remembering the Lord’s victory and battle for me. Being content isn’t for perfect people, it’s for the broken and weary, those who know they can’t do it on their own. Contentment is something for the day, not tomorrow, or the next day, or even the next minute. It’s for the moment that we are presently in. I can’t be content, because my flesh will always find something or someone to compare to, but with God, He can help me in His victory be content in Him. My application for this is to write down the ways in which the Lord is helping me find contentment in Him.