What is contentment?

Contentment has always been something that I've had trouble defining. I know what it feels like, but I have a lot of trouble putting it into words. Today I read a blog post on another site about contentment. The author of the post shares a quote from The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment. She defines contentment as "that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in God’s wise and fatherly disposal in every condition.”

I think that's a pretty good definition for us followers of Christ. Anyways I thought I'd share that since we're reading a book about contentment. You can read the rest of the post here-

http://www.boundlessline.org/2011/04/what-is-contentment.html

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made for His Purpose and Glory

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made for His Purpose and Glory

(Dillow;2007) She finds out from her daughter that she is pregnant. She inserts her prayer for her yet-to-be-born granddaughter.

When I was younger I never thought about praying for the yet-to-be-born. I never thought about praying for the not-yet-encountered. I am now approaching a month before I turn 30. I am finding myself praying for the wife I have not-yet-met more and more. Dillow's prayer is both personal and Scriptural. She prays through Psalm 139. It is an incredibly intimate and marvelous Psalm to pray over for loved ones.

O God, I praise You that You are intimately acquainted with all her ways. I thank You that You have gone before her and followed her and that You placed Your hand of blessing on her head. This knowledge overwhelms me with gratitude. I thank You. Right now. You, the Master Weaver, are forming her personality and emotional makeup, weaving them together in my daughter's womb. Wonderful are Your works!You know all about my granddaughter. You are knitting together her body, soul, and spirit. As a crafter creates intricate embroidery stitches. You are superintending every detail of her beautiful design. You have prerecorded all the days set before her on this earth. Already You are preparing her portion and her cup .O God. You are great! I praise You! You have created who she is to be but also what she is to do. You have created her to fulfill a unique plan ordained especially for her. Truly my grandchild is fearfully and wonderfully made. I praise You for Your awesome work. (Dillow;2007 p. 41-42).

Dillow spends some time in unraveling the details of how God made each one of us. As I ponder these thoughts, I am brought back to Genesis one where we find the creation story and how God has made each of us in His image and in Genesis 2 where He spends time and detail on the creation of man and woman in contrast to the birds and fish which are spoken into being. Each human being has great value to God regardless of how much money is in their pocket, the color of their skin, the circumstances they have gone through. The Psalm is full of how God knew each of us before our physical birth. I'm not a parent, but I can imagine how expectant parents grow in anticipation and excitement as the day draws closer for the child to be born. God was intimately involved in all the details of our lives, who our parents would be, where we would live, who our siblings would be, and even what we would look like. He cares for us even before we could even think about Him. Indeed Psalm 139 is one of the most up-lifting and intimate Psalms showing God's care and concern over human life. Sometimes it can be like one of those stories of the Gospels we heard about again and again and somehow it lost its power and significance. Psalm 139 can be like that.

Dillow includes this suggestion for us:

"Open your Bible to this glorious psalm and ask God to give you fresh eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to understand what He says to you."

(Dillow;2007 p. 42)

Dillow begins with some reflections over the Psalm. She begins by saying God created our personality. David says in the Psalm that God has searched him and He knows him, v. 1. God knows how we respond to certain things. He knows how we react in traffic. He knows the foods we like to eat, the places we like to visit. God is intimately acquainted with all our ways, v. 3. I think that can be a frightening thought for some. It would be quite a frightening thing if we could read minds. Yet, God fully knows everything about us and still loves us. Dillow elaborates further on the section. She comments on how created our inmost being. "The psalmist goes on to give examples of how intimately God knew him:" For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb" (verse 13). In Hebrew, "inmost being" signifies the seat of the desires and longings, the personality.

Even before David was born. God shaped his personality. Likewise, when God was forming you. He created not only your body but also your emotional makeup — your personality.David is so overwhelmed by these truths that he breaks into praise:

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well" (verse 14).

Have you ever thanked your Creator for His loving supervision of your creation? Have you praised Him for creating your personality? Can you say with David, "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made"?"

(Dillow;2007 p. 43)

Praise should be a natural response to knowing God and seeing what He has done. I often wonder why it is that more people aren't praising God. I often wonder why there isn't more thanksgiving and worship. David almost instantaneously breaks out in praise once he reflects on how God fashioned him and knows him. We too should respond in praise when we realize how God is so involved in our lives from the time before we were born until now. Dillow moves from talking about how God made our personality into how He made our bodies. She comments on v. 15 from the NASB.

"In Hebrew, the word translated wrought means "embroidered." It was the same Hebrew word used to refer to the skillful and artistic needlework in the curtains of the Old Testament tabernacle. When God fashioned you in your mother's womb (described in the psalm as "the depths of the earth"), He embroidered with great skill. Although no one else could see you, God saw every detail of the formation of your body. As a weaver intricately embroiders colors together to create a beautiful pattern, God knit together your veins, muscles, nerves, and every curve and indentation that is uniquely yours. What tapestry can begin to equal the human fabric?"

(Dillow;2007 p. 44)

Dillow follows this up by the observation or thought that we think the bodies of others are beautiful but not ours. We have multibillion dollar industries that capture the beauty of the human body in various forms and some of these industries are not so glorifying to God, but it sometimes causes one to compare and we fall short. I wish I was taller.. I wish I was 6'4 rather than 5'9. I wish I had a wider frame and was more muscular. I wish I was more athletic. I wish I was not born blind. How nice it would be if I were born sighted. I wish I were born British with distinguishable British features. Yet, God is responsible for every detail of our body. No detail of our being is too small. God made me Asian, born in America. He gave me Cantonese-speaking parents and raised me up in that tradition so that I can communicate Cantonese with the waiters at Yummy Guide.

Dillow adds a quote she read a while ago and it is one to keep in mind when it comes to making comparisons with others and contentment towards ourselves. It is by the Reverend James Hufstetler.

"You will never really enjoy other people, you will never have stable emotions, you will never lead a life of godly contentment, you will never conquer jealousy and love others as you should until you thank God for making you the way He did."

This section was about our bodies, in terms of physical attributes, but so much more can be added including medical conditions. I think of so many friends and family members with allergies especially in Sacramento spring season. I think of my own physical limitations. Being content with who we are is very challenging.

Dillow ends this section by talking about God made us for a purpose. This is taken from v. 16. All our days were written in God's book. All our experiences as Dillow describes God planned each one of them. God has a plan for us to follow, a path for us to walk. I think the comparison thing also creeps in here. I think sometimes we prefer walking in another's shoes. Currently, I am in Rochester. It is unpleasantly cold and gloomy here. About a day ago I was home in Sacramento where it was sunny, warm, and pleasant. I almost immediately regret coming back once I got of my flight into the cold, windy gloom. I still don't fully know why I am here beyond the academic and immediate purpose. I far rather be in a place of warmer weather. I suppose many of us can find things we don't like about our path, the job we have, or perhaps where we live. Yet, God has us in our particular places to fulfill a purpose. I love the line that no one else can fulfill the purpose God has for us. Dillow inserts a quote from Jerry Bridges. It is a good final thought to end this section.

"God created our inmost being and fashioned us in our mother's womb so that we might be equipped to fulfill the plan that He set out for us even before we were born. Who you are is not a biological accident. What you are is not a circumstantial accident. God planned both for you."

Psalm 139

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

¹ You have searched me, LORD,
and you know me.
² You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
³ You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
⁴ Before a word is on my tongue
you, LORD, know it completely.
⁵ You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.

⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
¹² even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts,^[a] God!
How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸ Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with you.

¹⁹ If only you, God, would slay the wicked!
Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
²⁰ They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.
²¹ Do I not hate those who hate you, LORD,
and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
²² I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.
²³ Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

Contentment Journey

Contentment Journey

None of us ever arrive at contentment in this life by accident. As the Apostle Paul describes his own journey in the fourth chapter of Philippians, it is a learned process. It is a sometimes painful journey especially when we take control of our lives and say we have no need of God.

On page 16 (Dillow;2007) describes her journey:

“My journey to contentment began fifteen years ago when all my masterful methods of control evaporated. They quit working because life was out of control. Two of my children were on an "adolescent advance" in the wrong direction.I had become a Christian as a college student and was excited about rearing my children in a Christian home. I had the mistaken perspective that if I pumped all the "right" things (God, His Word) into my children, they would automatically love and obey God. When it looked like my plan wasn't working, my heart was anxious and I became depressed.When I told a friend about my fears, she observed, "Linda, you like control, and there are too many 'uncontrollables' in your life." At the time, I didn't understand what she meant. After all, I trusted God. I was a missionary— I was paid to trust God. What did she mean, "You like control"?Looking back, I realize I did desire to trust God, but sometimes He was very slow. When He was moving at what I thought was a snail's pace, I unconsciously decided He needed my help. I know that sounds blasphemous. God doesn't need our help. Yet when I stepped in to massage (the truer word is manipulate, but massage sounds better!) the circumstances or to organize the people, my actions were saying, "God, You're not doing what I think needs to be done, so I'll help You out." It's our "helping God out" that leads to an anxious heart. When we take over and try to control what happens, we take our focus off the One who is in control and put our eyes on our circumstances.” (p. 16)

This section is rich with transparent self-reflection. It tells of how we can be followers of Jesus, even missionaries in the vocational sense and yet still struggle with contentment. As I read this section, I make the connection between contentment and control. There is a correlation between how much we are content and how much control we give over to God. It can also be stated as the reverse. The less content we are can reflect how much control we have. As the passage states, there are so many uncontrollables in life, why not give it over to God?

Parenting is a prime example as stated here. We can create a Christian home, have daily devotions with our kids, bring them to church but we have no control over their spiritual health. This the blessing and curse of free will. We hope and pray and try our best for our kids to pursue God, but the end result is out of our control. We need to give God control and seek His wisdom, guidance, and help. This section also gets me thinking of Abraham. Sometimes we think God is too slow. How long did Abraham wait till he had his own son. What did he do about it? He took matters into his own hands. By doing so, we read about the family conflict that ensued. God’s timing is rarely quick or instant especially when it comes to things we want. God is here to teach us patience in the process.

Dillow shares two passages that helped her:

“Two verses guided me through those days. I memorized them, wrote them on my heart, and made a commitment to live them. First: God . . . is the blessed controller of all things, the king over all kings and the master of all masters, (1 Timothy 6:15, PH) I meditated on the truths in this verse: Who controls my life? God. What kind or a controller is He' Blessed. In the words of the well-known theologian J. I. Packer, "Contentment is essentially a matter of accepting from God's hand what He sends because we know that He is good and therefore it is good."The second verse was Psalm 16:5: Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. Speaker and author Elisabeth Elliot makes this thought- provoking statement about Psalm 16:5: I know of no greater simplifier for all of life. Whatever happens is assigned. Does the intellect balk at that? Can we say that there are things that happen to us that do not belong to our lovingly assigned "portion" ("This belongs to it, that does not")? Are some things, then, out of the control of the Almighty? Every assignment is measured and controlled for my eternal good. As I accept the given portion other options are canceled. Decisions become much easier, directions clearer, and hence my heart becomes inexpressibly quieter. A quiet heart is content with what God gives. Ella, the dear woman who was a missionary to Africa, knew that someone had to be "in control" of her life in this out-of-control world. Because she chose to let God be in charge instead of herself, she was a woman of contentment. (p. 16-17)

God is in control. Yet, how hard is it to believe that sometimes. As I write this I am discouraged over the news that a placement referral is not going to work. It is with an agency serving the blind, the only one in the area. For the longest time I wanted to work in an agency serving the blind population, and yet each attempt has resulted in a closed door. All my life I have wrestled with the question and reality of my disability. Yet Scripture reminds us God is in controlled. I love J. I. Packer’s comment. Accepting from God’s hand what He sends is contentment. Because God is good and what He sends is good, we can trust that it is for our benefit. This was the response song last Sunday. It seems appropriate to end with this:

THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU

THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU

NO ONE ELSE CAN TOUCH MY HEART LIKE YOU DO

I COULD SEARCH FOR ALL ETERNITY LONG,

AND FIND THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU(x2)

YOUR MERCY FLOWS LIKE A RIVER WIDE

AND HEALING COMES FROMYOUR HANDS

SUFFERING CHILDREN ARE SAFE IN YOUR ARMS

THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU

I COULD SEARCH FOR ALL ETERNITY LONG AND FIND

THERE IS NONE

THERE IS NONE

THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU

Eternal Perspective

Where Contentment Begins: Having An Eternal Perspective

(Dillow;2007) follows her description of Meredith with a positive
example of contentment. She introduces the idea of having an eternal
perspective.

"What do I mean by perspective? According to Webster's, the term
suggests '"looking through; seeing clearly; the capacity to view
things in their true relation of relative importance." I like to think
of perspective as a way of seeing. An eternal perspective, then, is
God's way of seeing. When we have God's perspective, we view our lives
and evaluate what is important from His viewpoint. That's what Ella
did." (Dillow;2007, p. 12)

This isn't ever the natural response. Certainly we need to know God
in order to have His viewpoint and His perspective, but even believers
struggle with having an eternal perspective. I am so caught up with
the immediate. I am worried about the major projects I have due at
the end of the semester, in four weeks. As deadlines rapidly
approach, the anxiety level increases.

I think of the whole Alexandra Wallace situation and how one three
minute video blog can get a massive response of hate from the Asian
community. I admit I too was offended by her impersonation of Asian
languages and the comments she made about Asian culture. Yet, the
death threats and harassment from viewers was going overboard.
Christians must always respond to events, whether big or small with
God's viewpoint. We see from the angry responses a lack of
forgiveness. The Gospel, the heart of the Bible story is about
forgiveness and reconciliation. It is so hard to live out the Gospel
and it is so difficult to have an eternal perspective.

Going back to Ella's story:

"Along with her husband and children, Ella worked as a missionary with
the pygmies in Africa for fifty-two years. She had left her country,
her family, and all that was familiar. Primitive doesn't begin to
describe her living conditions in the scorching heat and humidity of
the African bush. But Ella found no relief because electricity, air
conditioning, and other modern conveniences were only a dream. Some
days it was so unbearably hot that she had to bring the thermometer
inside because it couldn't register past 120 degrees without
breaking." (Dillow;2007, p. 12)

What a comparison to Meredith who has so much. Also, what a comparison
to those living in the United States and developed nations. We
complain so much about minor conveniences, but what about those in
countries with none of the luxuries we take for granted. Yet, what
was Ella's attitude. How did she do it. A diary explains her
answer:



"discovered Ella's prescription for contentment:

Never allow yourself to complain about anything --- not even the weather.
Never picture yourself in any other circumstances or someplace else.
Never compare your lot with another's.
Never allow yourself to wish this or that had been otherwise.
Never dwell on tomorrow — remember that [tomorrow] is God's, not ours.1

Her words overwhelm me; they shame me. How could Ella not complain of
the weather when the perspiration dripped off her. when the stale,
humid air kept her from sleeping? What made her everyday focus so
different from Meredith's? The secret is in Ella's last statement. Her
eyes were fixed on eternity. Her tomorrows belonged to God. She had
given them to Him. And because all her tomorrows were nestled in God's
strong arms, she was free to live today. One day at a time she could
make the right choices and grow to possess the holy habit of
contentment. Ella's focus was eternal, and her focus led to an
internal contentment." (Dillow;2007, p. 13)

This is quite an impressive list. I find myself doing the opposite of
what Ella does. I find this so relevant as I am in New York. I wish
I were someplace else, namely Sacramento. When it was snowing hard
today, I really wish I were back in Sacramento. I worry so much about
tomorrow. I worry about my assignments, if this degree will ever lead
to a job, how the job market will be when I graduate, if there will be
an earthquake that will hit California, and so many other things. I
hold on to regret. I wonder how things would have been if I went to a
different college.

My tomorrows belong to God. What a marvelous truth. I think of the
song, "Because He Lives". In that song it says He holds my future.

One of my favorite passages is from 2 Corinthians:

16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is
perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our
light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far
more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at
the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For
the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not
seen are eternal. (2 Cor 4:16-18)

I love v. 17. God is at work even in those really challenging
circumstances. Our focus must not be on those circumstances, but on
God and on eternity. There are so many spiritual realities underneath
everyday people and events. My prayer from this section is from a
song I heard a couple of years ago.



Give Me Your Eyes


Looked down from a broken sky
Traced out by the city lights
My world from a mile high
Best seat in the house tonight

Touched down on the cold black tar
Hold on for the sudden stop
Breathe in the familiar shock
Of confusion and chaos

All those people going somewhere
Why have i never cared?

Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so i can see
Everything that i keep missing
Give me your love for humanity

Give me your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach?
Give me your heart for the one's forgotten
Give me your eyes so i can see
Yeah yeah yeah yeah

Step out on a busy street
See a girl and our eyes meet
Does her best to smile at me
To hide what?s underneath


There?s a man just to her right
Black suit and a bright red tie
Too ashamed to tell his wife
He's out of work he's buying time

All those people going somewhere
Why have i never cared?

Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so i can see
Everything that i keep missing
Give me your love for humanity

Give me your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach?
Give me your heart for the one's forgotten
Give me your eyes so i can see
Yeah yeah yeah yeah

I've been there a million times
A couple of million eyes just moving past me by
I swear i never thought that i was wrong

Well i want a second glance
So give me a second chance
To see the way you see the people all alone

Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so i can see
Everything that i keep missing
Give me your love for humanity

Give me your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach?
Give me your heart for the one's forgotten
Give me your eyes so i can see

Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so i can see
Everything that i keep missing
That i keep missing

Give me your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach?
Give me your heart for the one's forgotten
Give me your eyes so i can see
Yeah yeah yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah yeah

How is your attitude?

(Dillow;2007) opens her chapter with a meeting with Meredith. As I
read Dillow's interpretation of Meredith I can't help but think about
my similarities to her.


"Meredith's posture and facial expression plainly revealed that she
lived her own private reinterpretation of Philippians 4:8: "Finally,
Meredith, whatever is untrue, whatever is not noble, whatever is not
right, whatever is impure, whatever is unlovely, whatever is not
admirable - if there is anything that is not excellent or worthy of
praise — think about such things." Meredith's life was a living
translation of her negative thinking." (p. 11)

You can tell a lot from facial expression and posture. Christians have
a particularly difficult challenge if we are to be salt and light.
Consider Dillow's summary of Meredith.

"Meredith was the most negative person I'd ever met — she even looked
negative! (p. 11)

I don't believe the author is saying that we should care about what
others think, but how we appear on the outside reflects what is
inside. Christians full of negativity and bitterness taint the
portrait of Christianity.

One does need to pause and come back to Meredith. Why is she so
negative? What is the cause of her unhappiness?


"I asked Meredith why she was so unhappy when God had given her so
many good things. Without hesitation she spouted off her complaints:
First, God hadn't given her a house. She wanted her own home. She
deserved it. And her husband yes, he loved her, but she just hadn't
realized his many faults. Yes. her children were adorable, but they
were also negative and complaining (I didn't have to guess why!)." (p.
11)

First, Meredith focuses on what she does not have. Secondly, what she
does have she finds faults with. Dillow does add an interesting
comment about her children. Perhaps Meredith does not realize that
her negativity impacts the negativity and attitude of her own
children. It is possible her attitude also impacts her husband.

I need to pause and think about my own sphere of influence. Who do I
come in contact with. When one really thinks about this question,
believers globally reach a wide sphere of influence. We have the
potential to touch many lives. Think even for a minute within our
fellowship or small group. We all work in different places and live
in different neighborhoods. How many people do we individually see
and talk to daily. We must ask ourselves what messages do we
communicate in our expression, in our attitude, in our actions and
does it demonstrate the message of the Gospel.

Back to Meredith again. What we saw was her negative perspective on
what she does not have and her complaints about what she does have.
What does Dillow see:

"Ironically, many women would have traded lives with Meredith in an
instant. Her life was far from tragic. She was blessed with good
health, a petite figure that stayed that way without effort, a husband
who loved her. two adorable children, and even new furniture her
husband had recently purchased to make her happy." (p. 11)

She has good health. She has a husband who demonstrates his
affection. She has two adorable children. She has new furniture. She
has many other things that are not stated. She has many of the things
many do not have. I think of the couple who wants to have children
but are not able to do so biologically. I think about the single
adult who wants to find love but each attempt results in heartache.
Meredith has a lot and if we take a moment to think about it, we do as
well.

"Meredith was like a horse with blinders on, only seeing the dirt}
road straight ahead. She never raised her gaze upward to God or
counted her blessings. She had a blurred perspective, an unholy habit
of discontent." (p. 11)

The question is: what do we see? Who do we see? Do we complain about
the things we have or don't have? Have we counted our blessings
today? Do we see God as the author and giver of those blessings?

What I am thankful for today:
1. The Word of God
2. Truth
3. books like this one
4. the ability to read and respond
5. something to type on
6. the church
7. family
8. the ability to go to grad school
9. my morning milk tea from Sac
10. breakfast cereal
11. the ability to walk to class
12. a bed to sleep in
13. a roof over my head
14. clothes to wear
15. a chair to sit in
16. relatively clean air
17. living in a democratic country
18. The Gospel
19. spiritual discernment
20. Jesus

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father
of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."
(James 1:17)

Father You have given us so much. Your grace is ever-present and
abundant. You have given us Your best when You gave us Your Son and
the way of forgiveness and reconciliation. You have given us more
with the relationships and other material and immaterial blessings.
Would we be more cognizant of who You are and what You have done.
Would we go through this day with an attitude of thanksgiving and
joyfulness impacting those around us with the power and message of the
Gospel. My heart does turn to Japan and the small but still present
church there. In a situation of despair and a place of darkness,
would hope flood the peoples of Japan. Would it not merely be hope
that is temporal like food and shelter though those things are
critical, but would it also be Your eternal hope. I can't imagine the
devastation that has hit Japan, and I don't fully understand why
tragedy hit so hard in Japan. I trust that You do and pray that from
it, a nation will rebuild, but more importantly a people be restored
and reconciled I pray in Jesus name.

test blog

hallo!

the book we are reading is Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow