This morning,
my attention settled on the relationship between contentment and other feelings.
I don't believe that contentment is a feeling that replaces all other feelings,
but more like it is an expression, or fruit, that comes when we handle all our
feelings in our relationship with God. We can feel hurt over something while
also feeling contentment by bringing that hurt to God in all the ways Paul has
been teaching us.[1]
Both weeping with those who weep, and rejoicing with those who rejoice,[2]
are equally part of church life, and we can have contentment in the peace of
God even while processing our pain and heartache.
I can
recognize this in my own life now, where I can distinguish between what is a
core emotion about something, and yet feel thankful that I am able to pour my
heart out to God about whatever it is I am feeling. Over the years I have
noticed that secure little children always know they can come to us with
whatever they are feeling. They feel safe and at peace in their relationship
with us, even though they may be howling their heads off because of some hurt,
or offence, or injustice, caused by one of the other children.
Considering
how we are to view our emotions in partnership with peace and contentment
reminded me of this verse, “When I am afraid,
I put my trust in you.”[3] A
long time ago I made the connection between the two halves of this declaration.
On one side, there was something going on that caused the "when I am afraid" reaction. On the other side, during the
time the psalmist was afraid, he also put his trust in God. It does not say
that, instead of being afraid, he just had faith. It does not say that trusting
God replaced his fear. Rather, it brings the two together so that we can see
that, during the times we are afraid (insert other emotions here), we choose to
put our trust in God with both the situation we are facing (Paul's, "in whatever situation I am,"[4]
and, "In any and every
circumstance"[5]),
and the way we feel about it.
Of course, I
keep seeing how the previous section in Philippians is a huge part of Paul's
experience of contentment.[6] Instead of being anxious about what we are
going through, we turn to God in prayer, address our keenly felt needs in
supplication, give thanks in the midst of everything we are going through, and
turn all we think and feel into specific requests for God's will. As we flee
from sarkiness and cling to life in the Spirit, we experience the peace of God
guarding our hearts and minds while our hearts and minds process whatever
situations and feelings that confront us.
This led me
to realize that the Psalms are a huge and wonderful collection of what it looks
like for people to not be anxious about what they are going through, taking
everything to God in prayer, identifying every keenly felt need in
supplication, acknowledging the things for which they are thankful, and
presenting specific requests about what they are going through. When we see the
psalm-writers express every conceivable emotion, and consistently come to conclusions
filled with thanksgiving and praise, we have example after example of how to
put into practice the things the apostles teach us to do as the body of Christ.
Instead of
treating our feelings like contentment and the peace of God are supposed to
eradicate whatever else we feel, we are to look at the way contentment in God
as our source of hope, healing, and comfort, and the peace we can feel in our
relationship with God even while we are in absolute unrest about what is going
on around us, enable us to bring every other feeling to God the way Paul is teaching.[7]
It is
interesting to look at what Paul shared regarding his feelings about things he
was facing. Perhaps I will need to address that before we conclude our journey
through Philippians. I know that he also expressed all kinds of emotions based
on things he went through, and yet turned to God in all of it, and knew the
peace of God even while going through distressing situations.[8]
My desire is
to feel peace with God in my relationship with him, and contentment in him and
his will, even while facing things from the past that are yet unresolved,
things going on in the present that produce all manner of thoughts and
feelings, and potential concerns for the future that leave us quite unsure of
what will take place during our lifetime. We can bring all those feelings to
God in the way Paul teaches, and the way the psalm-writers testify, instead of
relying on our sarks to handle them. As we do this, there will be peace and
contentment even while life surrounds us with things that are anything but
peaceful.
© 2015 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517,
Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8 ~ in2freedom@gmail.com
Unless otherwise noted,
Scriptures are from the English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English
Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good
News Publishers.)
[1]
Referring to our home church’s journey through Philippians focusing on the
theme of Philippians 2:12-13, and how each thing Paul wrote helps us understand
what God is working in us both to will and to work according to his good
pleasure, and how we work out these issues of our own salvation with fear and
trembling.
[2]
Romans 12:15
[3]
Psalm 56:3
[4]
Philippians 4:11
[5]
Philippians 4:12
[6]
Philippians 4:4-9 are the foundation for building a life of contentment.
[7]
My primary focus in this regard is that, instead of addressing our feelings in
the flesh, we put aside the sarky/fleshly desire to handle things with anxiety,
and turn to God in prayer instead. In our approach to God in prayer we present
supplication over these keenly felt needs underlying our emotional response, we
express thanksgiving for all that relates to what we are going through, always
including who God is to us, and who we are to him, and we specify the things we
believe are God’s will for us in what we are going through, and lay these
before God with requests that cover everything. In doing this, we both address
all our emotions before God, while feeling peace and contentment in the
relationship we have with God where he invites us and exhorts us to come to him
the way his word describes.
[8]
II Corinthians 1:3-11, 4:7-12, and 11:16-33, show various experiences and
feelings Paul faced, along with his testimony of God’s provision.
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