I just bet Philippians 4:11 is one of your favorites… and you know it well, don’t you, friend?
Hi, this is Joni Eareckson Tada, and I know it has guided me through many a tough time and shown me the way to contentment. Paul picks up his pen and writes these timeless words, he says, “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
Now, think about this: Paul wrote this from a lonely prison cell, far from home, and cut off from friends, family, fresh air, and the light of day. He’d been incarcerated for simply being a believer in Jesus – and having the gall to talk about it and reach out to others around him. But if his enemies thought that the dungeon would break Paul’s spirit, I tell you what, they had another thing coming. But it does make you wonder: how could the apostle Paul be content – even joyful – when he had so little? Aye, there’s the rub; there’s the mystery. It’s just not human nature to be completely content when you’re dealing with so many problems. Problems like… prison; like being away from your family and friends. Like, well, you can fill in the blank with whatever. Yet God says we honestly can be content. And there’s a secret as to how.
It reminds me of meeting a girl named Summer – she was a beautiful, young, athletic girl who had been trained as a lifeguard, but she broke her neck and is now paralyzed and in a wheelchair. When we met, Summer had something exciting to share with me. She wanted to show me how she could move her wrists a little bit and make tiny movements in one or two of her fingers.
“Wow!” I said. “That’s awesome, Summer! How wonderful! You have every reason to hope big that you’ll get back more, because people who are spinal-cord injured can regain a lot within the first year.”
Now, I know what you’re thinking. “Joni, come on, she only moved her fingers a little bit. She only slightly moved her wrist. That’s no big deal, why all the fuss?” Yes, I understand, but when you are paralyzed like me and Summer, you measure happiness in quarter-inch increments. A quarter-inch of good news, like a little movement in the fingers, received from the Lord with a grateful heart, can bring as much joy as ten miles of good news to an indifferent or cynical heart. When you have little, you live life in very small steps… and that makes every success, every blessing, every gift very significant. It sets the stage for a grateful heart. Just ask Summer, or just ask me!
Contentment is realizing that God has already given us everything we need for our present happiness. It is the wise person who doesn’t grieve for the things they do not have, but rejoices over the things they do have. Let me say that again: a wise person doesn’t grieve for the things he does not have, but he rejoices over the things he does have. Summer and I rejoice that we can move our shoulders, flex our arms (that’s about it for me), and she, thankfully, can wiggle her fingers and wrist a bit. And we are so very grateful. How did we get that perspective? From Philippians 4:11, not to mention other Scriptures. And we’ve got them all written down for you in a 12-page booklet called “Bible Promises for Hope and Courage” and I’d like to send you your copy today. Just visit me on my radio page at joniandfriends.org and ask for your free booklet; again, that’s joniandfriends.org and the booklet’s called “Bible Promises for Hope and Courage.” Share it with a friend or tuck it in your Bible for ready reference. It’s the key to contentment… and Summer would heartily agree.
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JONI AND FRIENDS
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Agoura Hills, CA 91376
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