· Our lives on earth will sometimes not make sense. Pain, hardship, questions, and confusion are part of living in the fallen world. Difficulties will come, my topic isn’t “contentment if things don’t make sense” it is “when things don’t make sense.”
· Making good decisions will not always prevent hardship
· Having a strong faith doesn’t mean life won’t be hard
· Picking positive relationships don’t stop loss
· Being blessed with health doesn’t defeat death.
· When I look at my current life situation most of it doesn’t make sense.
· The bio I provided shares a bit of my story, but I would like to provide a bit with you as we go forward. In 2013 I was privileged to meet an incredible man, Mark. Mark was a few years free from his addiction, he was chasing after God, and ended up chasing after me.
· Fast forward about two years and we were married. We brought two children into the world and were raising them with their two older sisters.
· And then in July of 2020, my wonderful husband had a heart attack in our living room.
· I prayed for a miracle, believers across the nation prayed, I know people in this room right now prayed. But, God didn’t grant the miracle I asked for, Mark died at 37 years old.
· A heart attack at 37 years old doesn’t make sense.
· Becoming a widow at 29 doesn’t make sense
· Disconnecting my husband from life support after being given only 30 minutes to say goodbye doesn’t make sense
· Having to wear full PPE and not being able to touch his skin during that 30 minutes doesn’t make sense
· Planning a funeral when you have never talked about it doesn’t make sense
· Watching your 3 year old son lay next to his Dad’s casket at the cemetery doesn’t make sense
· 4 beautiful children navigating the world without a father doesn’t make sense
· Raising grieving children while grieving doesn’t make sense
· Having 60 years ahead on earth without my husband doesn’t make sense
· My life doesn’t make sense. Does yours?
· Maybe you are grieving like me
· Are you depressed, anxious?
· Is your career at a standstill?
· Are you struggling financially?
· Perhaps your marriage is hanging on by a thread, or maybe its already over
· Maybe you have lost everything in your addiction?
· Maybe you are facing a diagnosis and your miracle hasn’t come
· I don’t know your story, maybe right now, everything is making sense. But, the enemy is out to steal, kill and destroy, we are only human, so at some point things won’t make sense. How is it possible to be content when that time comes?
· Paul continues on in Philippians and touches on contentment in chapter 4 verses 11-13
11I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
Paul has LEARNED to be content. And he is confident that through Christ he can do all things. This verse says that contentment is something you learn by deciding and then you practice. Anything you learn needs to be practiced. My son is learning to read, and the number one thing suggested to help is practice, practicing his letters, his sight words, and putting it all together for comprehension. Pastor Jeff said something in a sermon two weeks ago, he said that to be content you need to know what to release and what to rehearse.
· See, I don’t think Paul is telling us to ignore our circumstances, to pretend that we aren’t hurting or struggling. You need to acknowledge your feelings in order to then release them. Once you feel them, and say them, you rehearse the truth of God over them. Applying truth to your feelings allows you to operate with a confidence that God’s plan for you is good, and it will prevail.
· I can feel abandoned, but the truth is God never leaves me
· I can feel broken but the truth is God picks me up, turns me around, and puts my feet on solid ground
· I can feel unworthy, but the truth is God bought me with a price.
· Your feelings are your feelings, they aren’t wrong, but that doesn’t make them true.
· Contentment is releasing and rehearsing. Release the feelings, rehearse the truth.
· Contentment is dependence on God, in faith, that He is the only one who can fulfill all of your needs
· Contentment is looking to God, because when life doesn’t make sense, He still does. He is the God of Knowledge, He is the God who sees, and He is the God who is the same, yesterday, today and will be the same tomorrow.
· Contentment is a decision rooted in the knowledge and understanding of who God is and the trust that He is still that same God even when life doesn’t look how we planned.
To hear the entirety of what I shared on "Contentment when things don't make sense" go to 05-13-2023 I "A Unique Work in the Making" I 2023 Women's Conference (youtube.com), I begin at approximately 31 minutes in.