Month: September 2010 (Page 2 of 3)

Devotions from Lisa McMinn’s book, The Contented Soul

You are familiar I am sure of Reinhold Niebuhr’s Serenity prayer but is good to really “Listen” to the whole thing and not just the first line or two.

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time, accepting hardship as the pathway to peace; taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His will; that I may be reasonably happy in this life, and supremely happy with Him forever in the next.”

If we rely on our circumstances that are likely to change from moment to moment, rather than character qualities that bring a deep sense of well-being, we may be unhappy more often than not.  The author, Lisa, writes of mellowness of heart as a “way of being that is openly receptive to God so that our lives lean toward a posture of grace, thanksgiving, blessing and goodness.”  Let us accept our circumstances, both good and bad, and trust that God is in control of the big picture, and we will find joy! More on this tomorrow.

Devotions based on Lisa McMinn’s book, The Contented Soul

When we go through hard times and respond rightly, it teaches us resilience and hope. Struggle is good because it builds fortitude, the endurance that develops through hardship and difficulty. We can learn to trust that God is doing His transforming work in us as we seek Him in our times of misery as well as joy.  In Phil 4 we are told to rejoice even when life is tough. God is near and watching. In James we are told to see value in suffering because it produces perseverance, character, and hope.  When we have everyday annoyances and pain we are given the opportunity to practice contentment that transcends our circumstances. Even when we have physical pain like a migraine headache, it can give us an increased sensitivity to others.  We can learn from our minor aches that can prepare us for greater suffering. As parents we have to resist the urge to overprotect and overindulge our children. When we pave the road too smoothly, they have a harder time coping with life’s disappointments in adulthood. Let us learn to sit with some measure of sadness, or some level of anxiety, some amount of sleeplessness so we know how humanity feels and also how Christ suffered for us. When we accept struggle as part of living in a broken world and carry on rather than giving up, we are exercising fortitude. Fortitude helps us embrace His mercy and grace, and contentment has a chance to settle deep within us.

Devotions from Lisa McMinn’s book, The Contented Soul

We all go through hard times and when we embrace struggle, we learn fortitude and just how capable we are of enduring. We also open ourselves to receive blessings from others.  The French Jesuit priest, Jean-Pierre de Caussade, encourages Christians to recognize God in every moment-not to run from struggle but to surrender to it, trusting that God’s will is found in our actions and our suffering. He is present in whatever we go through and will give us strength.

When we learn to rest in God and not try to escape from unpleasant struggles, God can transform us and help us use the moment to help us understand and love more deeply. Instead of trying to fix all our discomforts, we can learn to respond rightly. “When we treat each moment as sacred, we learn from one moment what will uphold some practice of virtue in the next. God uses every experience to shape, teach, and prepare us…we are instructed to experience all of life deeply, holding on to the hope of God while being present to whatever this moment brings, because God is there.” That is the real secret of surrender.

Devotions from Lisa McMinn’s book, The Contented Soul

Because the world is broken, we won’t experience the full joy we were created for, in this life. But because our contentment comes from the awareness of our personal God, we can rest in contentment even when our circumstances are not what we would like them to be.  When we are contented we realize we belong, and that frees us from the expectation that we have to make our own world perfect. We don’t have to be a doormat for a  world ready to take advantage of us either.  When we take care of ourselves we can do the work of caring for others entrusted to us. Looking out for ourselves is not an end in itself, but so we an go out and fulfill the claims God makes on us and for the community and world we live in.  Let us remember Who we belong to.

Devotions from Lisa McMinn’s book, The Contented Soul

God remembers us and is always present with us. He is not the enemy of our joy but created us for joy, to experience happiness, and to be united with Him. But when we look to things and accomplishments as our sources of happiness, we miss the true happiness of our souls that comes from knowing and loving God.  As we serve others within our community it draws us into even greater contentment. Not only is caring for others good for others, it does our own soul good. It is a reminder that we are part of something much bigger than just ourselves. When we are going through painful times or loneliness, doing something for someone else and blessing them can actually ease our pain.  We are created to get pleasure and contentment from seeing the world as God sees it, to love it as God loves it, and to care for and enjoy others. “As our soul enjoys God, we will enjoy life.”

Devotions from Lisa McMinn’s book, The Contented Soul

Have you noticed how market forces manipulate us by trying to convince us that their products will give us the contentment for which we search? Advertising tries to make us believe that our lives would be so much better if we purchased their product. If we aren’t grounded in the message that our identity and contentment come from our souls that belong to God, then we can easily be persuaded that we can find identity and belonging by what we consume.  Marketers try to get us to be loyal to their product and we are often walking advertisements of their products as we wear their labels. Even children are manipulated. Let us not forget who we are. We are souls! As souls we are created to enjoy that which is free and simple, and we have worth and dignity as those who belong to Him.

Devotions from Lisa McMinn’s book, The Contented Soul

“Contentment is found in the arms of God”.   Contentment is found when we cease from seeing ourselves as a soul that belongs to our own self and instead belongs to God, who made us and loves us. When we know we belong we can hold life, relationships and possessions loosely, have open hands, and live in a place of quiet joy. God is the source of our life, freedom and contentment!

Ever since the Fall, we have been prone to separate the body and soul, usually paying more attention to the care and pleasure of our body. “True freedom, according to Augustine, is the ability to choose to do what is right because body, mind and soul are fully aligned in a way that honors God, bringing us joy and contentment. The body and soul are not in competition but together move us ever deeper into the ‘vast environment’ of God and creation.”

 More tomorrow

Devotions from Lisa McMinn’s book, The Contented Soul

For some people the art of savoring life comes very naturally and for others we have to learn it. We need constant reminders that our contentment is rooted in the work of Christ and to be experienced here and now. He wants to transform our lives and give us joy in obedience to Him. But full contentment will never be complete until our heavenly existence. We are people who live in between Eden and heaven and hold the hope that what our soul longs for will be satisfied one day. Living with this hope helps us to accept suffering and disappointment with the knowledge that God is with us and will heal our wounds.  We can be content because our hope is in something yet to come. We don’t need to try to escape our struggles but embrace them. May we walk gently, to live as Jesus would live, mindful of all life. May we remember that “contentment is rooted in a God who loves us and calls us to be present to our earthy, physical existence as we journey toward shalom”.

Devotions based on Lisa Graham McMinn’s boo, The Contented Soul

St. Augustine wrote, “O Lord God, grant us peace, for you have given us all things. Grant us the peace of quietness, the peace of the Sabbath which has no evening.”  All of us are surrounded by simple pleasures. Contentment is waiting for us and invites us to savor each moment, and as we do this it honors God who gave us life.  But many focus on what they don’t possess or pursue and therefore are never satisfied. Too often we live unexamined and disconnected lives.  Paul on the other hand had learned to be content in every living situation, whether it was plenty or little. ( Phil. 4) Jesus life, death, and resurrection were his source of contentment and also the foundation of ours. Contentment can grow deep within us when our soul has been reconciled to God. Even when we go through troubles He will not leave us.  “We can welcome a life tapestry woven with threads both painful and joyous, because  we are loved and held by a personally present God.”