Being Content

Minding the Present

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I’ve written before about my proclivity for planning. Perhaps I come by it naturally; my dad was a Marine and my mom a school teacher – both professions that (to do them well) require quite a bit of planning. Perhaps it was not a learned behavior but is simply the way God created me. Whatever the cause – I like agendas, to-do lists, maps, and outlines of expectations. In short – I like a plan.

There are many good things about planning. Having a to-do list helps ensure you stay on track and get the things that you want done accomplished. A map ensures that you arrive at your destination and not somewhere you didn’t intend to be. But for all their goodness, plans can also have a detrimental effect. When we plan with the expectation that we have the ability to prescribe tomorrow’s activities, we run into trouble. As James 4:14 reminds us – we do not know what tomorrow will bring. If we hold so tightly to our plans that we either  neglect to pursue what God may orchestrate for the day or we worry about making sure what we’ve orchestrated comes to pass, our plans become a hindrance and not a benefit.

George MacDonald illustrated this well when he wrote:

It has been well said that no man ever sank under the burden of the day. It is when tomorrow’s burden is added to the burden of today that the weight is more than a man can bear. Never load yourselves so, my friends. If you find yourselves so loaded, at least remember this: it is your own doing, not God’s. He begs you to leave the future to Him and mind the present.

In other words, when we are content with what God has placed before us today, we have nothing to worry about. It’s when we also take on what we think tomorrow holds that we find ourselves overwhelmed and anxious.

The solution, as MacDonald identified is simple. We are to leave the future to His concern, and concern ourselves with what He has called us to today, recognizing as Proverbs says, “The heart of man plans his way,but the Lord establishes his steps” (Prov. 16:9)

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Being Content Growth

Soul Cling

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A few days ago, I was at Disneyland with my family.  I was sitting at a curb, waiting for some of them to join us, when my youngest niece climbed onto my back. The only natural thing for a fun-loving aunt to do seemed to be to flip her over my shoulder. She loved it, but as we did so, my earrings were caught in the action and proceeded to pop out of my ear. One of my earrings was a piece of costume jewelry that I have had for a long time but contains little intrinsic value. I found it immediately. The other earring was one-half of my only pair of genuine diamond earrings and were from my dad. Although the monetary value was not hugely significant (they aren’t that big), the sentimental attachment was huge. It popped out of my ear and was lost in the glistening blacktop of Main Street.

As we searched for the earring, the fact that it was a special present from my dad was at the forefront of my mind. I attempted to stay calm by reminding myself that even if we didn’t find it, it was just a symbol of the relationship that I had with him. Losing the earring didn’t mean that I had lost the relationship. Regardless of whether I had that particular reminder, the generosity and love my dad had shown me had not changed.

In case you are tempted to go to Main Street looking for the lost earring, we did find it (and God graciously didn’t allow us to look too long before we did.) However, the lesson taught in those moments of search was an important one. Remembering and honoring my dad is not synonymous with holding on to the gifts that he has given me. My love for him is not equated with the representations of his generosity. My heart’s fondness for my father is tied up in the relationship that we have, not in the expressions of it.

The same is true in my relationship with my Heavenly Father. As I wrote about previously, being a Christian means letting go of what is ours in order to cling to Him. However, what does this actually mean – to cling to God? It means when we are experiencing His generosity and when we are not, our souls find satisfaction in Him. Our relationship is not dependent on whether we are enjoying the expressions of His goodness, whether all is at it “should” be (in our estimation), or whether the bounty of His gifts are ours in abundance. Clinging to God doesn’t mean holding on to the good things that He has given us, it means loving and honoring Him. Even if all those things are taken away, our commitment to Him does not wane.

It’s tempting to replace holding on to God with holding on to the good things He has given us. However, if we, like the Psalmist, want to be able to say that our soul clings to Him than He, and not His gifts, must sustain us. Our satisfaction and our confidence must be found in Him alone.

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