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OK……..continuing on the contentment theme……
(& I need it right now!!!! Hee!! Heee!!!)
I have to remain cryptic for a while yet……but eventually, I should be able to share the source of this…..
(so, keep your antennas up, people!)
Back to the struggle at hand……
I have need for contentment…….no matter my circumstances…..
And they are kind of funny (these circumstances)……a big opportunity……perhaps, but we aren’t sure…involves big changes in our lives if it does happen….
A part of me feels over the moon about it, & part of me dreads it (or its coming to fruition) more than anything else in the world.
How can I be so conflicted? Have you ever been that way?
My question to you, blog readers is:
In order to be content, do I have to be excited with my lot?
Ok…..so now that it’s down on paper, I realize there are really two issues at stake:
1. The struggle of excitement vs. dread
&
2. Does contentment & peace only come hand-in-hand w/ excitement?
I don’t think so….What do you think??
Colossians 3:15
“Let the peace of God rule in your hearts.”
(& I need it right now!!!! Hee!! Heee!!!)
I have to remain cryptic for a while yet……but eventually, I should be able to share the source of this…..
(so, keep your antennas up, people!)
Back to the struggle at hand……
I have need for contentment…….no matter my circumstances…..
And they are kind of funny (these circumstances)……a big opportunity……perhaps, but we aren’t sure…involves big changes in our lives if it does happen….
A part of me feels over the moon about it, & part of me dreads it (or its coming to fruition) more than anything else in the world.
How can I be so conflicted? Have you ever been that way?
My question to you, blog readers is:
In order to be content, do I have to be excited with my lot?
Ok…..so now that it’s down on paper, I realize there are really two issues at stake:
1. The struggle of excitement vs. dread
&
2. Does contentment & peace only come hand-in-hand w/ excitement?
I don’t think so….What do you think??
Colossians 3:15
“Let the peace of God rule in your hearts.”
“If we open the shutters in the morning the light will pour in.
We do not need to beseech it to pour in.
It will pour in if we will let it…..
It is so with the peace of God.
It is so with the peace of God.
It will rule in our hearts if only we will let it.
If a heart that is disturbed about anything will ‘let the peace of God rule’ (instead of its own desires), that heart may this very day prove this truth.”
(from “Edges of His Ways,” by Amy Charmichael)
(from “Edges of His Ways,” by Amy Charmichael)
Pondering much tonight......goodnight!
8 comments:
That's interesting... I kind of consider excitement and contentment to be opposites. Excitement, for me, is a very forward-looking state of emotion. Contentment, on the other hand, I've always pictured as being in-the-moment. "I am willing to live fully in this moment because this is the only moment in which I can truly interact with God."
Maybe a better question then, would be, "Does Excitment only come when you are content with what the Lord is bringin you?"
What do you think?
I think it's natural to get {agitated?, excited?, fearful?} when anticipating major life changes of any kind, whether negative or positive.
In these kinds of situations, I always apply the old saying: "It's better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all." If you don't even try -- if you don't even consider -- the opportunity, then there's only yourself to blame.
There's the possibility that you don't follow through, and there's the possibility that you may fail.
But lessons learned from failure are much more valuable than those learned from success.
Very good advise, Brad....
Which is kind of where we have come to....a bit of a crossroads.
"Does Excitment only come when you are content with what the Lord is bringin you?"
I think not. I think excitement (the good kind, not the anxious kind... if those are separable) comes whenever there is an opportunity that resonates (or we perceive to resonate) with our loves, gifting, goals, and personality. Whether or not that particular opportunity is God's plan at the moment? That's a bit harder to discern.
Interesting, Gabrielle....
So, can we be content in those circumstaces of opportunity?
I know this opportunity is right to pursue (God's leading in undeniable here).....I'm just not real excited about it yet....
Yes, I think we can be content in circumstances of opportunity. Or rather, to be more realistic, we can choose contentment from moment to moment. Seems like there's at least two things going on: how to be content in a time of not-knowing, and how to be content knowing one of the choices simply doesn't feel that exciting or wonderful. For the first thing: in times of major decision-making, when part of me just desperately wants the decision done and over with, I find it's a battle to be content in the not-knowing. That's when Is. 50:10 and Heb. 11:1 become my go-to verses... God is pleased when I'm willing to follow and love Him even when I have no clue what's going on.
For the second thing, (not being excited about an upcoming opportunity), that seems to relate to what I wrote in my earlier note about how we *perceive* the opportunity to line up with loves, gifting, personality, etc. It could be we're not excited because we don't really see how the opportunity fits in with those. On the other hand, we could be "not excited" because we are very tangibly aware of what we will loose in following this opportunity, and not tangibly aware of what we will gain. (Drat. It always comes back to walking by faith. So annoying.)
"On the other hand, we could be "not excited" because we are very tangibly aware of what we will loose in following this opportunity, and not tangibly aware of what we will gain."
Add this is exactly where I am at, Gabrielle.....please pray for me...that I will trust His goodness no matter the decision...
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