By 
I have what I call a life verse. Its reference is engraved on my favorite Bible. It doesn’t embody who I am, yet. It embodies the kind of spirit I want to have. I was reading 2 Corinthians one day, and I came across the verse and thought: now why I can’t be like that?
For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. —2 Corinthians 12:10, ESV
I want to personify that verse so badly. Sometimes I think I’m getting there; then one of my kids leaves a trail of belongings around the house, half of the devices at work decide to go on the fritz, a family crisis hits, or someone I love dearly does something that causes me grief, whether intentionally or unintentionally. When these things happen, I don’t exhibit a calm unwavering aura of peace. I get upset. Maybe I’m slightly annoyed, maybe profoundly. No matter how I describe it I can’t honestly say I’m content.
I have been working on living this verse for about a year. I was really beating myself up because I felt I was making no progress. Then it dawned on me—Paul wasn’t content so much with the situations he listed. He was human. Sometimes he got annoyed, angry, even cold.
To go one further, even Jesus wasn’t content in every situation. In Matthew, He overturned tables in the temple, not out of contentment but out of righteous anger: And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers” (Matthew 21:12-13, ESV).
In Luke, He wept as He approached Jerusalem, His heart broken over its stubbornness: And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes”(Luke 19:41-42, ESV).
In Mark, Jesus was sorrowful even unto death: And he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.” And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him (Mark 14:34-35, ESV).
In John, Jesus wept over the death of Lazarus: And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” (John 11:34-36, ESV).
Finally, in Matthew 27 Jesus called out to the Father in anguish asking why He had forsaken Him:And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”(Matthew 27:46, ESV).
I don’t think being content in all circumstances means not experiencing negative feelings. God allows us to be sad, frustrated, scared, and angry (provided it’s not a hateful, hurtful anger). Being content means trusting that the season you are going through is directed by God. If we are content to let God be in control, the best possible outcome will come to fruition. We know this is true because Paul tells us so: for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28, ESV).
It’s a learning process. As Paul had to learn, we too must learn hard lessons: for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content (Philippians 4:11, ESV)).
When we stop trying to get through everything under our own power, living out that verse becomes much more attainable. God wants our contentment to come from depending on and surrendering to Him. The best part—He handles circumstances and situations so much better than we could ever dream of doing. Let us be content to travel through our days under His strength.
Shannon Allen
Shannon manages the Tyler service department for Eyecon Solutions a security company that specializes in remote surveillance of commercial properties. She resides in Tyler with her husband and their two teenage sons. Together they have eight children (six of them grown) and three grandsons (praying for a granddaughter soon). She is a member of Green Acres Baptist Church, a Womenary student and a leader in the Embrace Grace ministry that operates out of Green Acres. She feels closest to God when she is learning about Him through His word and through great Christian teachers as well as when she is serving others through His grace. 
