When hard times take over our life, we tend to attempt to control them. We worry, which never solves anything. We may take on more work to make financial ends meet, and we neglect our soul and our family. This all creates more tension in our life, and negative emotions and stress take a toll on our health.
A vicious cycle of worry, and placing more demands on our life, make matters worse. In all our striving, we forget that our Father God loves us and has a perfect plan for our life (Ephesians 2:10; Jeremiah 29:11). We do not consult Him because we are afraid of what He will ask us to do, or that He will object to our goals and dreams, or that He is too busy to help us.
Discontentment with our life undermines our peace and joy and causes us to lose confidence in God, in our self, and in others. If we would simply put our trust in the Lord, and love Him with our whole heart, mind, and strength, we would get spiritually-inspired direction that will solve our problems (Mark 12:30).
Learning contentment, regardless of our situation, keeps us humble, and it helps us to better appreciate God’s gifts to us regardless of their “wrapping.” The apostle Paul learned this valuable lesson during one of his times in prison (Philippians 4:11-13). We also learn to rejoice in our tribulation (Romans 5:1-5).
We adapt to our circumstances and look for the seed for a miracle that God plants in each one of them. Our joy does not depend on our surroundings or the events in our life, but on the presence of God in us through each one of them. This satisfaction includes our marriage.
Our marriage is strengthened as both husband and wife mature spiritually, pray for one another, encourage each other, and trust God with our whole heart. When we trust the Lord in every circumstance, and love Him with our whole heart, we can more easily enter a place of rest and contentment (Proverbs 3:5-6; Matthew 22:37-40).
When we accept our spouse’s foibles and peculiarities, and he/she accepts ours, we find more joy and contentment in our relationship. When we allow God’s Spirit to heal our soul, we find it easier to accept the life He provides for us, and to appreciate His sovereignty over us and the whole world.
Prayer:
Father God, we trust in Your goodness and in Your ability to work out every issue in our life for our ultimate good (Romans 8:28). We want to live in the center of Your will for us, because it is the happiest place on earth. Remind us that unexpected and difficult situations of our life can increase the intimacy in our marriage, rather than to push us to opposite sides of the boxing ring as opponents.
Help us to accept our trials in contented bliss that spawns from our love of and trust in Your presence within us. Teach us to allow these negative issues to draw us together in our marriage, rather than to separate us and eventually lead to divorce. We may not fulfill one another; but as we cling to You, we find Your fulfillment even in a marriage that is less than perfect.
Thought for the Day:
Many of our trials come either from our disobedience to God’s perfect plan for our life, and/or in our refusal to wait on the God’s peace to direct us in our decisions; God’s loving manipulation of circumstances will drive our roots deeper into His love for us, so rather than blaming God or resenting Him for our issues, we can rejoice forevermore.
- 2 Corinthians 1:9; Isaiah 61:10; Habakkuk 3:17-19; Philippians 4:4-8; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
