I realized anew that,
just as we must learn to obey God one choice at a time,
we must also learn to trust God one circumstance at a time.
~ Jerry Bridges, Trusting God
Michael was teaching the Sunday morning class.
His text was Philippians 4:10-13.
His topic was contentment, an area he said he struggled with.
Don’t we all?
The room was full of recovering addicts.
Some of the obvious kind—drugs, alcohol,….
Others less obvious, yet just as damning—worry, control, pride….
All growing from the same root:
“I’ve got this one covered. Me. Thanks God, but no thanks.”
But it never works out so good, right?
Trusting me never leads to contentment.
Michael said when he focused on trusting God, not self,
he was given the gift of contentment.
Trusting God more means trusting me less.
In this situation.
Then that situation.
Then the next one.
In our necessary recovery from addiction to self, faith can’t sit still.
It’s no static thing.
And as our trust in God grows,
so will our contentment.
One situation at a time.
~ ~ ~ ~
Continuing the grace count to 1000:
# 230....232
~ Michael’s humility
~ that Sunday morning class
~ the great advice offered there
# 233....235
~ lunch with niece from NY
~ wise comments from sweet blogger friends
~ upcoming book study with the family women
# 236....238
~ God’s ripple effects
~ moments of contentment
~ learning to trust God, one situation at a time
* * *
Would you be more content if you trusted God more?
Do you see a connection between contentment and trust?
11 comments:
Ding ding ding...The BELL is ringing!...The neon lights are flashing!...The sirens are going off!!! What a biggie of a post today...especially for MOI! YES. I do believe that when I am feeling the MOST DIScontentment, the MOST INsecure, is when my trust meter is wavering...oh my. It's NOT as if I'm saying straight to God, I DON'T TRUST YOU. Heaven forbid! But I am FOCUSING ON ...OBSESSING about what I think I...I...I should be doing, and not turning my gaze straight into the Father's face to listen to HIS words as He is talking...and boy does the discontent start to rise...I hear you Lisa...loud and clear this morning...would have liked to be sitting in your Sunday School for the rebuke, the reminder, the exhortation, the encouragement to T-R-U-S-T HIM!...with EVERY STINKIN' Little detail that is involved in this move. ...having the house just so for market...selling the house....finding another house in Iowa...each of the kids and their own circumstances in this and where they will live, my dad and having to leave him far behind...the actual move itself over 800 miles with 3 dogs(and most likely a kitty if it doesn't stay) and the MONEY that has been invested in the house fix-up!!!!! and recouping it...oh my...I could go on and ON...and the commenter would cut me off...so ENOUGH! But you get the picture...I needed this...TRUST...TRUST....TRUST...
If I truly believe that God is COMPLETELY in control here...I will be content and have peace, I will NOT be anxious, which is simply put, saying to God, "I doubt your ability to take care of this for me God."...horrors, I could never verbalize that to Him...yet I can internalize it with emotions...
Asking forgiveness from HIM this morning, because of your post. Thank you LISA!!!!!!! A good reminder. Glad I popped in - God bless your holiday. HUGS sister...xo
Julie,
I love how God works, rippling through one life to another. How sweet it would be if we could sit in a Sunday school class together. This lesson is what I need too – all the time, every day. Sometimes I think I’m doing okay with trusting and being content, then a new situation pops up that throws be back to ground zero, or so it seems. But thankfully God knows our hearts, that we WANT to trust him and we want to find all our peace and contentment in him.
We just start anew each day. I’m asking forgiveness from him too. So many things I fret about when he has them all under control. You do have so many decisions you are making and changes and new situations around every corner. It’s a lot to grasp hold of, but yes, he does have such great ability and desire and power to take care of every detail for you and with you.
Thinking of you today and other families with military connections. How proud you must be of your son!
Love you, friend!
Lisa
One circumstance at a time -- such a relief to know He's "got it." How foolish of me to think I could handle it, as I so often do.
Trust is most truly the difficult thing for me. I tend to be strong, but on my own. Without Him, it isn't strength, is it? Thank you for this!
"Necessary recovery from addiction to self" - well put!!!
Providential you should post this on a morning I'm very discontented with my appearance and torn between wanting to be in a few photos with my nephews and wanting to hide behind the camera as usual.
Yes, discontentment as so many other struggles is a matter of trusting and focusing on God rather than self.
Thanks for this post, friend.
Absolutely. I love your opening quote from Jerry Bridges, too. One step at a time, one step at a time ....
Jesus is enough and our faith grows stronger each time we trust in that fact. It's an exercise I must practice daily. Thanks for sharing this.
I was challenged last week to think about what it would be like to trust God with only one handful of flour a day, like the prophet Elijah asked the widow of Zarephath to do. Not sure I'm making very quick progress in learning that daily kind of trust, but it's a helpful visual.
Just hopped over from Ann's.
Oh, your post really resonates with me! Trust and gratitude do seem to come hand in hand. What lessons I am learning in contentment.
Thank you for sharing!
Such wisdom Lisa! Yes, I would be more content if I trusted God more. Absolutely! And I know He is trustworthy so why oh why do I still wrestle? However, there are many moments of contentment that I am learning to experience. I love what you wrote though about trusting God ...one situation at a time.
Love your list and thoughts Lisa.
Blessings and love,
Debbie
Thank you, Lisa, for these thoughts. I would certainly be more content if I trusted God more. I popped over from Ann's place.
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