Contentment - A Life Long Journey

Contentment- we are all in that stage of life. I realized earlier this year that we never reach a point in our life where we are completely content . You can try to convince yourself that once you get to a certain point, like marriage, you’ll be content. The Lord has shown me that it doesn’t end there. We are all human beings and most times very fleshly ones at that. We are always desiring something else.
Growing up it was my dream and prayer that I would marry a godly man, that God would help me know the right man without me “trying others” and being in a lot of relationships. This is a normal desire and there is nothing wrong with wanting to marry a godly man, but we have to be content where the Lord has us. If you are single right now, God wants you to be content there. And contentment isn’t just saying, “I’m fine with this stage of life because I have to be, I‘m supposed to be content because that‘s what the Bible says.” God wants us to be happy and joyful, serving Him, not worrying about our future with a godly mate. If we sit around spending too much time on ourselves we dwell on the things we don’t have. Want to know a simple cure for that? Busy yourself serving the Lord and being involved in the lives of those around you.
Recently the Lord has brought a godly man into my life and has worked it out that we and both sets of our parent have the peace of God about a relationship. So over the past few months we have spent time together, getting to know each other and the goals we feel God has for us. For some reason I thought once God brought the godly man He created for me into my life, it would all be great, no more dealing with contentment for a godly mate. Guess what? I was wrong, I found myself content in our relationship but waiting and longing for the moment that he would ask me to marry him. God had to remind me, “Anna, be content where I have you, in a wonderful relationship with a godly man, your engagement time will come.”
Little did I know that less than a month after I was praying about this my man of God was going to propose to me. And it was amazing… better then I could even dream, and now, the next project for me? Being content until the day God has for us to marry, August 20th. And I know that once we are wed I will have other issues of discontentment to deal with: homes, children, money, ect… It’s a normal part of our lives.
We will never reach the point of perfecting ourselves in the area of contentment, but this also means we have to keep bringing that sin to the feet of the cross and let God work it out in our lives.
Embrace where God has you right now, “…for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” Philippians 4:7. Whatsoever state in the Greek means who, which, or what - that’s you and your circumstances. Content here means 1) sufficient for one’s self, strong enough or processing enough to need no aid or support 2) independent of external circumstances 3) contented with one’s lot, with one’s means, though the slenderest
Be happy with the things God has given you and the way He’s made you “…Be content with such things as ye have…” Hebrews 13:5. The word content in that verse can mean satisfied but also means to be strong in.
Lord willing this may have given you a glimpse of what to look “forward to” or the work you have cut out for yourself. There is great joy and peace from God that comes as a result of being content and rejoicing where God has you in life, who He’s created you to be. Remember- contentment is a lifelong journey, you’ll never arrive at your destination until we find ourselves in Heaven with the King.