CHAPTER 1
BE SATISFIED
Philippians 4:12-13
I know what it is to be in need and what it is tohave more than enough. I have learnt this secret, sothat anywhere, at anytime I am content, whether Iam full or hungry, whether I have too much or toolittle. I have the strength to face all conditions by thepower that Christ gives me.
Now, this is one of those subjects we mostly claim tounderstand and have adapted to until the troublesof the earth and worries of this life breaks into ourhomes and invade our lives, only then we are pushed to the limitand exposed to whether we are content or less enduring.
Paul understood what being satisfied really meant. It meansbeing happy with the amount you have presently. It means beingjoyful and gladly putting to good use what you have and notworrying about what you don't have.
The Bible tells a story of a wealthy man named Job. He hadeverything going for him. God blessed him for his good works.He had plenty of food, livestock, a number of servants as wellas children. But when trials came to shake him off his comfortzone, like every one of us, he was then pushed to the limit ofdeciding which was now best to do—either blame God for hisloss or remain faithful and content.
Surprisingly, after all his sufferings and troubles, the deathof his children, servants, and loss of stock, and when his wifeconfronted him for not wanting to curse God, this is what he said,
"You are talking nonsense! When God sends us somethinggood we welcome it. How then, can we complain when he sendsus trouble?" (Job 2:10).
We learn a great lesson from this story, a lesson worthtreasuring for every day of our existence.
Complaining is good for nothing; it only causes quarrelsand division. And we only complain when we refuse to accepta painful situation or a loss of that which we really loved andadored.
It's true there are things we can never replace. Things likechildren, parents, etc.
But losing such things doesn't spell eternal pain or everlastingmisery—no! You can still be happy and still pursue and settlefor a good and fulfilled life, provided, however, you are contentand satisfied with what you still have remaining. You can't be leftwith nothing.
Being satisfied doesn't mean overlooking a problem or apainful situation. It doesn't mean allowing anything to harm youor cause you pain.
And it certainly doesn't mean accepting everything as ameant-to-be loss or a minor incident. Rather, it is more of achanneled mind-set, an attitude of forgiving those who hurtyou, and a skill of wearing a smile even though your life is alltumbling upside down.
To be happy every day doesn't have to be a mountain-climbingtask. You simply need to remain faithful to yourselfabout what you believe in and why you believe in whatever that is.
Trust yourself, love yourself, and accept yourself for who youare and what you have.
It's a fact. You can't choose how to be born, when to be born,or where to be born. Accept your family for who they are; acceptand respect your surroundings where you are.
Talk about dreaming and fantasizing. It's good to havedreams—an expensive car, a fancy house, and expensive clothes.But until you have those things, keep on accepting and beingsatisfied with where you are now, and the joy and happiness youhave now will later give you the rewards of a lifetime of blessings.
Remember, being happy every day doesn't have to meanbeing perfect or hope for others to not hurt and disappoint you.
Jesus, in his love and wisdom, gave us the greatest secret toenjoying each day with peace of mind and happiness. He said,"Do not worry about tomorrow, it will have enough worries ofits own (simply enjoy today to the fullest)."
You must accept waking up to an empty bread bin orapproaching winter days with an empty wardrobe. Nobody haseverything, but we all have that strength of putting a smile onour faces even when days are dark.
Think about it, what change does it bring to cry at a funeral?Or how will it help to not cry at all?
These are two different actions with similar results. The deaddon't come back to life.
So instead of crying and regretting how it went wrong,simply find out what went wrong, work out a way to fix it, andaccept what's already damaged and move on to making the nextone perfect.
Again, there are things you can't change, but it's possible youcan change. You must accept that there are things that just won'tchange, but if possible, let them change you.
For example: One would lament, "If only I had a job, then Iwouldn't be sitting at home while my wife goes to work."
Then another would say, "If only we had shelter, then mykids wouldn't be dying of colds and flu from the rain and frostof the street."
Now notice, the moment he begins to think about a job, hedestroys the joy he had of waking up to a place he calls a home.
It's simple. The moment you begin to focus on what youneed but don't have, eventually your entire mood faces andpoints to that dark and faraway place where you wish to be butdon't have the means yet. Now it's then that you forget to thankGod for what you already have.
Be satisfied with the way you dress, at least your body iscovered. Be content with the way you eat, at least you don'tsleep hungry. Be satisfied with the way you were brought up,at least you weren't aborted. Be content whether your house issquare or round, at least you have somewhere to call home. Behappy you woke up this morning; some never made it homelast night.
Be content whether you have candles or lights; some willsleep in the dark tonight.
Maybe you're not used to being content. Maybe you have toomany demands that require everyone to move at your commandand too many desires that you would give anything to fulfill.
If that's the case then, what would you do when all thosepeople are gone and you are left all alone?
When you have run out of everything, but your desiresremain unfulfilled.
Too much of everything is a bad thing; now I know that fora fact.
And it doesn't have to be or, rather, it's not always the biggerthings we do that end up making us slaves of every sort of desire.Things that stop us from being satisfied and content are simple:
(a) Peer pressure
This has been an ongoing topic for years aboutindividuals who make excuses of their misbehaving a matterof other people's bad interests.
It is very difficult to remain content when you have agroup of individuals that you're trying to please and keepup with every day. Sometimes you are driven to demandstuff you know your parents can't afford. Sometimes you areforced to overlook the misery your family is going throughbut want what you know they can't give.
The pressure you find from bad people may lead you tolosing what is most precious to you. So instead of allowingsuch a pressure to control you and shape your future, pullaway from such people because their minds are short anddull. They think more of what they want and forget whatthey have—what has been with them for all years past.
You, however, must learn to accept your family's situationas it is. If you have chicken for supper, that's good. If youhave cabbage, even better; veggies are better than meat.
Make yourself happy every way possible. Never makeroom for...
