Wise words...

Content: Day 2

In the book I'm reading, Calm My Anxious Heart, here was a journal entry that
a daughter found after her mother's death.

• 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. 

Wow, if only we could all could live like that. 

I mean what if "I" could live like that. 

I don't find myself to be a complainer by nature. 

I like to think of myself as a glass half full kind of girl....

most of the time. 

We all have areas that we don't live by this mantra thought, right?

Or is it just me? 

Obviously, a look at Paul's life makes an amazing statement as he wrote

Philippians 4:11-13 about contentment while sitting in a prison cell! 

"How does god enable us to be content? 

He INFUSES contentment into us through His Word. 

As it seeps into our minds, it transforms us.

Just as a cup of tea gets stronger when we give it time to steep, 

so we become more content when we spend time in God's Word

and allow it to seep into our lives, 

transforming us to be like Him." - CMAH

J.I. Packer, a theologian, said "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." 

Wow, that's SOOOOO good. 

God is good, therefore whatever he sends my way is good....

even if it may not seem like it. The situation may not seem good, 

but God has the end result in mind and THAT is good and for 

the purpose of bringing our lives in allignment with His will and 

for His glory. 

Psalm 16:5 - 

Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my 

cup; you have made my lot secure. 

So goes another day of learning to be content. 

I'd love to hear how your contentment journey is going....

Gentleness

gen·tle

   [jen-tl]  Show IPA adjective, -tler, -tlest,verb, -tled, -tling.

adjective

1.

kindly; amiable: a gentle manner.

2.

not severe, rough, or violent; mild: a gentle wind; a gentle tapon the shoulder.

3.

moderate: gentle heat.

Every year I try to pick a character trait that I would like to work on in my life. This year I am going to try and be more gentle. I'm not exactly sure what that means yet...:-) I'm a pretty high-spirited girl. Very sanguine in nature. However, I know that this in an area that I would like to develop more throughout this year. I've been praying about it and asking the Lord to show me some specific ways that I can LEARN to be gentle in my dealings with ALL people in ALL circumstances. 

Here's a few verses that I'm going to meditate on this week: 

To speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.Titus 3:2 ESV / 81 helpful votes

Psalm 18:35 ESV / 52 helpful votes

You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great.

2 Timothy 2:24-26 ESV / 45 helpful votes

And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

James 3:17 ESV / 42 helpful votes

But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

Life is starting to get back to somewhat normal- Whatever that means? I picked up my first book of 2012 from the library. I'm really excited to get started. It's titled "Calm My Anxious Heart". Lest you think I'm anxious...;) I saw a review about it being a great book on Contentment. That's always an area I can grow in. Isn't that the case for most? "What we are on the inside, what we continually think about, eventually shows up in our words, a actions, and even our countenance." Looking forward to diving into it!