Learning to Be Content

<p>Changing situations and changing circumstances often come with changing moods, like unease, irritability, or even irrational behavior. These changes may be due to the loss of employment, a loved one, or something else we once held so dear. We might lose something that used to occupy our time, or something that’s just always been there. When a part of our lives that has felt normal since childhood suddenly isn’t there anymore, life can feel empty.</p><p>.</p><p>The apostle Paul experienced a lot of changes. He was one of the most educated people of his day. He sat at the feet of Gamaliel, one of the best teachers of the Jewish Scriptures (Acts 5:34; 22:3). No doubt Paul was envied by some who didn’t enjoy the same privileges he did.</p><p>.</p><p>But when Paul came to faith in Christ Jesus (whose followers he had persecuted severely up till then) things took a different turn. That privileged position was no more. Now, as a follower of Jesus Christ, Paul was the one being severely persecuted for his faith. He went through very uncomfortable situations—sometimes because of persecution from non-Christians, and sometimes because of natural disasters beyond his control. Paul was shipwrecked more than once. There were times when he had very little to live on and he went hungry and thirsty. He experienced sleepless nights and shivered in the cold without enough clothing. He worked hard and for long hours. He was beaten with rods and imprisoned frequently (2 Corinthians 11:23-29). Sometimes Paul had more than enough, but other times he had less than enough.</p><p>.</p><p>Through all this, rather than complaining and becoming bitter or even abandoning his faith in Christ, Paul says he “learned the secret of being content” with whatever he had and whatever circumstances he was going through (Philippians 4:12). And that secret was knowing Christ. Paul learned to bring all his anxieties to the Lord and to trust and depend on Him (4:6). But this is something he had to learn—it didn’t happen automatically. Because Paul had m