Broken or Content?

Philippians 4:11 “Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.”

Think about it - When have you been the most content? Has it been after you've been the most broken?

For me, I definitely see a connection. For me, I only became the most content in my life after I was the most broken.

I found that I appreciated more what I had when it was the most threatened. I was so broken that I felt I'd never be whole again......but

BUT

I realized that God I finally listened to God. I began to understand some of His promises:

"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." Revelation 21:4

Until I was broken, I don't think I ever fully grasped the feeling of contentment. Heck, I still struggle with it some even now. You know, the 'grass always seems greener on the side'? We struggle with trying to get to the next step, the next best thing, blah, blah, blah that we fail to enjoy the here and now.

So, seriously - should it take being broken in order to be content. Or should it take watching someone else being broken in order to be appreciate what we have?

Do we become content when it seems as though it's the only choice we have?

What I mean is this......I can look back on my life and figure out exactly when I finally understood how to be content - I mean fully content - peacefully.....It took almost losing my daughter - or living in a constant fear of losing her that I finally gave EVERY single thing to God. I gave every worry, every praise, every concern, every plea - EVERYTHING to Him. I had no choice, but to give it to Him and choose to try my best to appreciate every aspect of life on earth. If not, I would have gone absolutely crazy....living a life like this is not something any human can do alone - or even with a terrific support group. I'm pretty sure it's called faith.....and although there are days that I think - or rather I KNOW that my faith is more absolute than others....I still have that faith. The risk of losing something so precious increased my faith 1,000 fold. It made me more content with ALL of the GOOD in my life and less critical and demanding of things that I don't have.

I think that once you've been really broken and the healing begins that you truly want to do what you can to stop others from being broken - from feeling a pain like that. You want others to see what you see and you want others to be content.....or at least that's how it is for me. I've always waxed and waned with wanting to 'save the world'. I think we all have that in us somewhere....but truly, I want others to love and appreciate and not have to endure pain or suffering in order for it to happen....and it is a more pure feeling for me now.

The strange part is that some times it takes life challenges to make people fully understand it (like myself).

Other times, people get stuck in the brokeness. Some people become broken and lose hope in ever being whole again. They are lost. They don't believe anything could be better. They are cynical and feel unloved. Life is unfair and they are just pawns playing a game here on earth with no hope of eternal freedom.

How do we change that?

We love, encourage, support. We keep telling our stories. We quit judging and pray. We love the broken because they need it the most. We become content with our own lives. We trust. We have faith.

All the proof I need is the story of my life!

prayer

It seems as though it’s been forever since I posted!

I’m very happy to say that Zeta had a really good couple of weeks!! She has smiled and played and been so much more alert. We have been so excited to have this time with her. This past week she hasn’t done as well, but she is not officially ‘sick’ – just quite agitated and we can’t figure out why. I’m hoping maybe it’s just been the change in temperature. Please pray that she will soon be over this little spell and we’ll be back to enjoying her sweet smiles again soon!

On that note, I feel that I must share today’s Daily Bread devotional


There’s Power

Read: James 5:13-18

The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. —James 5:16


When my sister found out she had cancer, I asked my friends to pray. When she had surgery, we prayed that the surgeon would be able to remove all of the cancer and that she wouldn’t have to undergo chemotherapy or radiation. And God answered yes! When I reported the news, one friend remarked, “I’m so glad there’s power in prayer.” I responded, “I’m thankful that God answered with a yes this time.”

James says that “the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (5:16). But does “effective” and “fervent” mean the harder we pray, or the more people we ask to pray, the more likely God is to answer with a yes? I’ve had enough “no” and “wait” answers to wonder about that.

Prayer is powerful, but it’s such a mystery. We’re taught to have faith, to ask earnestly and boldly, to persevere, to be surrendered to His will. Yet God answers in His wisdom and His answers are best. I’m just thankful that God wants to hear our hearts and that no matter the answer, He is still good.

I like Ole Hallesby’s words: “Prayer and helplessness are inseparable. Only those who are helpless can truly pray. . . . Your helplessness is your best prayer.” We can do helplessness quite well. — Anne Cetas

Lord, I’ve been taught many things about prayer—be
specific, be bold, be surrendered, be strong in faith,
be persistent. Today I recognize my helplessness and
Your power as I share my heart with You. Amen.

Prayer is the child’s helpless cry to the Father’s attentive ear.



I firmly believe in the power of prayer. I believe that God does listen. However, I also firmly believe that God’s plan may not always be the same as ours. I believe that things happen for a reason and that many things lie beyond our understanding.
One day Stevie and I had some well-meaning visitors (I assume they were well meaning – if not I cannot fathom that someone would be so cruel). They essentially told us that Zeta was not well because WE had not prayed properly……Somewhere in our hearts we did not firmly believe that she could be well. That God wanted her well and that we had to make it be so. They told us that MAN was granted more power and would do greater things than GOD ever did. Now, they didn’t just come out and say all of these things so bluntly (Well, they kinda did)…..They intertwined them with our very own beliefs about God. I sat and listened in stunned silence, trying to sort out exactly what I was hearing and exactly how it fit in with my faith. Stevie and I said nothing to each other about until the next morning. We were both trying to figure out if we had heard what we thought we had heard and how it correlated to our beliefs. At first, I tried to figure out if somehow I had missed this lesson in church or just missed the boat completely. Then, I was angry that someone would dare tell me that my child was sick because I had not prayed enough – I knew that to be an ultimate lie. Finally, I was saddened that these people believe this way. Not only do they believe it but they make a ministry out of it and portray it as Christian belief.

Sometimes people twist and manipulate things to make them how they want them to be. People have tried this with Christianity since the beginning of time. Sometimes people are so good at it that they make us question our own beliefs.

People can make you feel threatened, weak, or poor…..but they can’t take away your soul. They cannot take away what makes you you. They can’t take away your experiences or choose how you react to those experiences. You ultimately have the power to accept the invitation of salvation. You also have the power to believe that in the end good does triumph over evil, that lightness can outshine the darkness and that although He never promised an easy earthly life we are promised a Heavenly eternal life. (Philipians 3:20-21).