Being Content Where You Are Planted

1 Thess. 5:16-18

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

The path to contentment is a rocky one, especially when you look around you and think, "This is not what my life was supposed to be like!"  This can happen at any age, but I frequently hear women say this after they have become mothers.  What we envision does not always happen. 

The command here is to rejoice, but we cannot do that without constant prayer. And prayer can't come when we are locked up in resentment.  How do we get out of resentment? Thankfulness, of course.  To be grateful in circumstances which are less than ideal and especially in circumstances where we feel we have no choice sometimes takes a massive act of will to give it up to God.  

In our prayer group, a young mother shared that her husband had made a permanent decision to not have any more children without consulting her.  Her voice, her choices were taken from her.  Her unspoken lament was, "This is not the life that I had planned."  Another friend, who was experiencing financial difficulties said those exact words to me, "This is not the life I dreamed about."  In my own experience, the house my husband built for us to live in was far from the image I had in my head, but he built it, so we were not going to move.  I often felt trapped in that house-- it wasn't the Martha Stewart organized life I thought I would magically live, and I complained in my head, "If only I had the perfect house; my life would be perfect."  You don't think that attitude came out in my daily actions?  I robbed myself of great joy. 
Some people are bombarded by life and death circumstances that make them reach the same conclusion: the picture I had of my life is not what it is. 

Many times women are tempted to look around and say, "But she has the perfect house, she has the most supportive husband, she has the best behaved children, why did she get everything she wanted?"  Comparison is the thief of joy according to C.S. Lewis.  You cannot rejoice without first letting go of it, letting go of your plan, being thankful for your position, and praying all of the time!

I often picture my life like a tree that God has planted by a beautiful river, and so many times, I mutter, "Why didn't you plant me by that stream over there?" when I should be drinking from the richness of the river.   We think we know better than God!  If we rejoice by that river, He will have us thrive and bear much fruit, whether that fruit is acts of service, bringing people to Him, joy in our partnerships, actual children, or fulfillment of our goals. His river is so much bigger than our streams. 

This morning, I am unpacking my box of worries and complaints.  I am praying about them and giving them up to Him, so I can finally rejoice in the glorious life God has planned for me, not the small, tiny picture I formed in my head.