This
chapter was all about being surprisingly satisfied…. Being content in your life
at this very moment, whatever it may be, being fully engaged, soaking it in,
relishing it, cherishing it, celebrating it and appreciating it for what it is.
But in order for us to really understand what it means to be content we must
first know what it means to be discontent, Priscilla described it very candidly
saying “he shows up at your door step, eager to step inside and make himself at
home. But instead of only coming for
short visits on rare occasions, he refuses to leave, spreading his
baggage everywhere, filling up corners of your space that you thought you
locked up to this odious intruder. He comes, he lingers, and he robs you of
your years. Then before you know it, you've missed out on the joys in the
journey, the growth that comes from battling through the difficulties, the
sweet and savory experience of creating the memories.” After reading that I
though boy do I know him well! I rushed through so much of my life that I
barely remember most of it, come to think of it, I allowed “discontent” to rob
me of so many precious memories and experiences, too busy trying to hurry to
the next phase of life. I know many of you related to this in our discussion, hearing
the words “Surprisingly Satisfied” sounded so rich and promising I just had to
know more of what that meant. I’m going
to highlight some of the things that were written in the chapter by Priscilla
Shirer and that we discussed in our meeting!
EVERY
BITE COUNTS…
On
page 14 Priscilla said she realized after talking to an older friend of hers
that she recognized that by “rushing through life, I'd been subtly devaluing
those around me and the experience I was involved in, not appreciating the
importance and significance they bring to my life at this very moment, not
grasping my responsibilities for holding dear and treating wells this gifts God
has entrusted me. Instead of embracing the privilege of being a blessing to my
husband, my children, my friends and others, I'd been quietly communication
that I wanted them to change and speed up, to get busy being somebody else,
someone who's more in line with what I want and need, to hurry along to a place
where they could make me happier than they currently do.”
Does
this sound like you? It totally sounds like me; funny thing is I never even
realized that I had been doing this! For as Long as I remember I have been
rushing through life, hoping for something better whether that be as a teenager
wanting so bad to be grown and not have to listen to my parents anymore to
feeling like I can't wait for my babies to walk, talk, etc. I have done this
for way to long!
Scripture
says “True godliness with contentment is
itself great wealth” (1 Timothy 6:6 NLT) and “Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being
content with what you have: for He Himself has said, ‘I will never desert you,
nor will I ever forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5 NASB). I know that being content
in this day and time can be frowned upon, because it's all about what you have,
the next come up, but now that we know the biblical meaning of the word
“content” let's all strive to appreciate the now and be more aware of it,
because truly being content means to trust in the place that God has us right
now and to be willing to get all we can out of it!
THE
SECRET…
In
today's society there is always something else, something better, something
bigger that we need to be happy and
enjoy life, the world says If your single you should be married, If you
buy a purse or shoes then it should be this brand, If you live in an apartment
you should live in a house, etc, if that is the case then how can we ever
obtain real happiness? If we allow it to we can get caught in the vicious cycle
of always striving for more leaving us “unhappy, uncontrolled, unfulfilled, and
dissatisfied.” This is why Priscilla
Shirer says “a satisfied woman is such a surprising woman. You can tell it by her peace and serenity, by
her solace and restfulness, by the mysterious sense of ease that accompanies
her.” The rarity and uniqueness of a
woman who has chosen to be satisfied with what she has, who she is and with
where she lives is uncommon and worth celebrating”… This woman is not in
denial, and her circumstances may not be perfect or even close to it, but this
is a woman who knows “the secret” and “who has chosen to trust its wisdom and
to frame her life according to it, she's a woman of substance because she's a
woman of satisfaction, a woman who's chosen contentment over displeasure.” What is this secret you ask? It's “Inner Sufficiency – A satisfaction found
in the depth of one’s own life with God, independent of our surroundings. When
unearthed and put to use this “secret” sufficiency is able to bring a full
measure of enjoyment and emotional stability to any kind of life experience no
matter how dull or distressing, It puts us in a position to be amazingly
free!” When we decide to accept that
what we have at this very moment has been deemed by God as sufficient, then we
will become mentally and spiritually “equipped and empowered” to participate
fully in this season of your life.
Scripture says “God is able to
make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having
everything you need, you may excel in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8)
Ladies we have got to accept this as our truth! That whatever we have or do not
have” God has already perfectly matched up with an equivalent-to-overflowing
supply of Grace.” If you don't believe this, perhaps you lack a real
appreciation for what you have or are involved or doing things you're not
supposed to be doing right now. God has already given enough, He always does
and “when you and I choose to recognize this and trust in His continued supply,
we'll be able to engage in life in a way we never have before. We'll finally be
living life to the fullest.” That's a secret worth sharing!
OVERFLOWING
BLESSING…
“Give, and you will
receive. Your gift will return to you in full-pressed down shaken together to
make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give
will determine the amount you get back.” (Luke 6:38 NLT)
When
I read this scripture it just doesn't seem fair and I will never feel
deserving! God is promising to give us back so much more then we gave, even to
the point of surplus, running over! God is such a good God and there is nothing
exact about God's recipe of return to us, His gifts are over flowing. When we
choose to give, whether that be monetary, with our time, space, etc., God
promises that we will have enough, more then we think even! This doesn't mean
to give at the expense of your relationships and purposes that should
prioritize your life, but when you feel led by the spirit, do without doubt or
hesitation, knowing that God has already given us everything we need to suit
the task. “The content woman, when required to give of her time, her love, her
resource, herself is secure in the knowledge that she possesses enough to do
it.” “And when He scoops up the dividends that He'll be sending back your way,
He won't be short and scanty about it. He won't skim off the excess or be bound
by an exact measurement. He will supply you a portion that is abundantly good
and beyond what is warranted”
Priscilla
says the best way to be “surprisingly satisfied” is to be irrationally released
to respond to Gods promptings to serve, even when doing so seems impossible
because of your perceived lack. ” So live this moment, pour yourself out, drain
each experience of each precious day and be prepared for Gods over flowing
blessing!
THE
BALANCING POINT…
We
have been learning about being content, satisfied. I know for a lot of my life
content sounded like a bad word, it sounded like settling, Priscilla says “On
the contrary, contentment is the equilibrium between the enjoyment of life now
and the anticipation of what is to come.” She says “contentment serves as a guard against desires gone wild.
It is the key to unlock you from the bondage of unrestrained longing that wells
up within your heart and inevitably begins to control your life, making you
slave to what you don't have instead of a fully engaged participant with what
you do. It is the faith-filled belief that what God has bestowed now is worthy
of gratitude and appreciation, not merely because it is enough but because it
is good." She goes to say "by choosing contentment, you're not getting rid of your desires; you're
just demanding that they assume an appropriate, humble position in your life,
not bossing you around, forcing you to submit to its ever-growing and ever
changing list of demands.” It will be your ticket to live with goals and
ambitions inspired by His expansive, mind-blowing will, without having to
sacrifice todays blessing.”"In staying Surprisingly
Satisfied, you will actually receive the best of both worlds. You are
giving yourself permission to enjoy fully the things you have, the person you
are and the life you're currently living while continuing to harbor the dreams
that keep you growing and stretching into the future”"It's a balancing point.
A holy equilibrium. A genuine gratitude for what the day brings, all while maintaining
a controlled anticipation for what tomorrow may offer.
It's
a RESOLUTION to be SATISFIED…
It's
a RESOLUTION that will change your life….
SURPRISINGLY
SATISFIED
I DO SOLEMNLY RESOLVE TO
EMBRACE MY CURRENT SEASON OF LIFE AND WILL MAXIMIZE MY TIME IN IT. I WILL
RESIST THE URGE TO HURRY THROUGH OR CIRCUMVENT ANY PORTION OF MY JOURNEY BUT
WILL LIVE WITH A SPIRIT OF CONTETNMENT.
